The Fox and the Hound
by Jedi Honor Bound Ninja
Summary: There are so many 'what ifs' in life. What if the fox had never attacked? What if someone, anyone, had seen the misery of a little boy left alone in this world and decided to change that? Missing Moment Age 12 up!
1. Prologue

**The Fox and the Hound**

Megan Pendleton  
- a.k.a. Jedi Honor Bound Ninja –  
- a.k. –

**Story Summary:**There are so many 'what ifs' in life. What if the fox had never attacked? What if someone, anyone, had seen the misery of a little boy left alone in this world and decided to change that?

**Author Note: **So when you get stuck on one story usually another one surfaces which of course got you stuck on the first one in the first place. And I'm pretty sure you all see where I'm going with this one. Damn plot bunnies and their ravenous nature. I will be finishing The Strength of the Wolf it's just the muse has decided to abandon me for a moment and one of my scraps decided to scream "Pick me!" :P So here this came. I'm at page 10 of SotW and I think the next chapter I produce will be that story.

Forgive me for letting it die for way longer than should be


	2. Fate in the Rain

**The Fox and the Hound**

Chapter 1: Fate in the Rain

Chapter Summary:Hatake Kakashi is a dedicated and loyal ANBU soldier. He is the most skilled and elite ninja of Konoha since the death of the Yondaime Hokage and takes to this responsibility as he has all others. There are times, however, when fate does not like the cards dealt and decides to try and change what it has wrought. Little does Kakashi know just how his life is about to change.

* * *

Hatake Kakashi sometimes hated his role as ANBU black ops. The hours were ridiculous, the missions were near suicidal…if there were missions at all…and he was just bored with it all. He was either a silent sentry or a silent killing machine and the village could not make up its mind which it wanted him to be. Needless to say it left him feeling stressed, worn, and ragged along the edges.

He was only thankful for the masks they were required to wear which probably hid most of those feelings away from the world. A dog mask covered his face even now, a last joke played by the late Yondaime Hokage. The man had merely called it irony when he presented the mask to one of the youngest made Jounin in the village. Kakashi had called him a bastard, not amused by the prank his former sensei had just gotten away with. Just because he could summon nin-dogs did not mean he had to be the Inu mask.

Yondaime had merely laughed and clamped him on the shoulder proudly.

Now, years later, the mask represented that one slim thread he still had to his previous life. That small thread of sanity he still had. He had to make the Yondaime proud of him…to be worthy of that mask…and going and getting himself killed would not cut it.

As he walked through the throngs of people in the later evening streets, his favorite companion trotted alongside him. A little pug with a blue coat and a leaf headband kept up despite his shorter legs and stouter body type. Every so often the pug would grunt or growl at something but it went unnoticed. There was not much to see tonight and Kakashi could feel the heavy weight in the air of the impending storm.

This was ritual to them both. Kakashi would summon Pakkun when he was certain of a few days off and the Pug would keep watch while he slumbered. Paranoia maybe, but the life of the ANBU was not an easy one. Pakkun seemed to enjoy the time down as it was. Normally Kakashi only summoned his dogs for messaging and battles.

A loud rumble of thunder made most of the people in the streets scatter. Kakashi merely cursed and hunched his shoulders a bit more. He had hoped to beat the storm home. Nature had other plans it seemed. This day was turning into a fantastically bad one.

Pakkun seemed to huddle closer to his legs. That was until something caught the pug's ears as they neared the neighborhood Kakashi's apartment complex was in. Pakkun stopped mid-step and looked around, ear alert and at attention. He started to sniff the air and then shot off without as much as a word to Kakashi. The dog-masked eighteen year old watched as his 'pet' rushed off.

"Damn it Pakkun…" he cursed as he began to follow the trail his dog had taken off on.

The little pug rushed down a long alley way until he stopped atop a pile of boxes. He sniffed around them a bit before just sitting there and looking down behind them. He whimpered and sniffed a little closer to whatever it was he thought he had found.

"Pakkun, it's raining, I'm not in the mood…" Kakashi was about to grab the scruff of the dog when little hands reached out and hugged the pug around his neck. There behind the boxes was a little boy getting drenched by the sudden rainfall.

"Pak..kun." a little voice cried out and Pakkun licked him gently. The boy had said the dog's name with a certain infliction Kakashi had not heard before, either because the child was cold and shivering or because he did not know how to say it correctly.

"Runt, what are you doing out in this weather?" Pakkun began to admonish the child as he continued to lick at the boy's arms, which Kakashi noticed were scratched up and bruised. "Shouldn't you go home?"

The suggestion seemed to deter the little blonde-haired boy; because he withdrew his hold on the pug and rocked back a bit on his heels. He fingered his torn shirt a bit and avoided making eye contact with the pug. Finally, after much internal debate, the boy answered.

"I don't have a home."

Kakashi froze after hearing the softly muttered words. It was unreal, the kid was only around four or five years old. There was no way that he did not have somewhere to….

Then the light bulb clicked on in Kakashi's head. A mob of spiky blonde hair, glassy blue eyes, and an orphan that looked no older than four years of age.

"Please no." Kakashi whispered as his feet moved against him, moving him closer to the scene ahead of him. Pakkun nuzzled the boy which rewarded the pug with arms wrapping back around his neck.

"You don't have anywhere to go Runt?" Pakkun questioned as the boy curled up to the dog that was just slightly smaller in size than him, looking for the slightest bit of warmth he could find in the cold rain.

"Pakkun," Kakashi admonished lightly and at last the boy realized his presence in the ally. The boy froze almost immediately and his grip on Pakkun lessened again.

"I'm sorry mister. I didn't know he was yours." He started to babble as he backed away from Kakashi, nearly stumbling over his bare feet.

"This is Kakashi." Pakkun murmured to the boy in an attempt to reassure him. "He is my master. He won't hurt you Naruto."

Kakashi reached up to remove the dog mask he had forgotten to take off earlier. Inwardly Pakkun's name for the boy sealed his suspicions in stone. He knelt down to the little boy's level and tried his best not to be too intimidating. It was hard to do when most of the time his life depended on him being able to intimidate and overpower others.

"Pakkun, what did you find back here," he smiled softly, letting his eye close and crinkle a bit to show he was actually smiling behind his other mask. "A new friend?"

"I found him a few days ago." Pakkun reported. "I thought he was one of the neighborhood kids. He looked lonely so I started playing with him. I didn't realize he was an orphan."

Kakashi could piece together what Pakkun had left out. During the days he slept on end, the only times he summoned Pakkun here in this area, were his days off. The little runt of a dog was going out on excursions while he slept and he had come upon the little boy and probably liked the attention said boy gave him.

Kakashi took in the kid's appearance now that he was closer to them both. His cloths were torn, the kid was scrawny, and he had bruises and scratches all over him, not just his arms. "Naruto was it?"

The boy nodded slowly, looking around the ally way as if he were expecting something to jump out at him. Blue eyes would rest on Kakashi only briefly before flitting away again, nervously scanning his surroundings.

"Where are your caregivers Naruto?"

"I don't have any." Was his instant reply and Kakashi had to bite down the rising rush of anger at the admittance. "They left a long time ago and said not to come back, or they'd…." and the little voice trailed off leaving the sentence unfinished.

"They'd what?" Kakashi prompted him lightly. The blue eyes focused on him like a hawk trying to gauge what it was Kakashi wanted from him. The boy did not answer the question; instead he went about fingering one of the bruises on his right arm. Kakashi assumed he would have gotten beaten if he had returned wherever he was supposed to be staying and the boy found it safer to do as he was told.

He reached out to touch the boy but was too slow as the boy darted from him and pressed himself up against the wall of the ally. Kakashi let his hand rest back on his knees. Silently Pakkun went forward, snagged the child's shirt in his mouth and began pulling the boy back towards Kakashi. Kakashi would have to ask the pug later, but he was sure Pakkun had realized something was wrong with the kid from the get-go and had started playing with the child to gain his trust. What four year old could resist a talking dog?

Once Pakkun had the child within reach Kakashi reached out again and let his hand rest on the boy's head. The boy flinched and kept his eyes tightly shut as Kakashi ruffled the blonde hair affectionately.

"I won't hurt you Naruto."

The words earned him a glance from underneath a squinted eyelid. Slowly both blue eyes came open and the boy watched Kakashi as Kakashi watched back. It was almost like the boy was trying to see right through him and determine if he actually meant the words or was just saying them to calm him.

"What do you say to getting out of this rain?" Kakashi queried as he stood up slowly. He reached down and picked up the little blonde, noting he weighted nothing, and positioned him on one arm. The boy had gone rigid at the contact, but Kakashi continued to just hold the boy closely to stop the shivering that had started. "Any friend of Pakkun's is a friend of mine."

Pakkun began running ahead and Kakashi began to follow him. He was now back on track towards his apartment with one more guest in tow. He tried to keep the same passive, calm emotional state more for the sake of the boy than himself but he found his mind would not be quiet enough for him to achieve that.

All he could keep thinking over and over again was the promise of another Hokage and how untrue the promise had been.

There was also the fact that they were getting drenched by the rainfall and he was sure that getting wet was not the best thing for either of them so slowly he began to up his pace. He took side long glances at the boy each time he sped up to assure himself he was not startling or spooking the kid. So far the boy merely widened his eyes and looked around him as they moved.

When Kakashi finally made it home he leapt up to his one window, the one he left unlocked for quick and easy entrance, and came indoors to the warm, dry apartment he called his own. He deposited the boy on the lone couch in his living room and went about looking for something the kid could wear instead of the drenched t-shirt and pants he had on. He also needed dry clothes.

"Are you a ninja?" the boy had asked after Kakashi had found the only suitable thing he could and was taking the drenched, torn, t-shirt off of the kid to replace it with an obviously too-large shirt of his own. Kakashi caught sight of more bruising and inwardly he wanted to go out and start cracking skulls together. Instead he decided to focus in on the question.

"Yes I am. Why do you ask?"

"Well Pakkun talks." The boy shook his head after it popped through the head hole of the t-shirt and looked at the pug that had joined him on the couch.

"Sometimes too much." Kakashi muttered which earned him a little growl from Pakkun.

Naruto did not quite pick up on the playful bantering the two were having. Still he accepted the answer and leaned over on the pug. "How does somebody get a talking dog?"

Kakashi had not expected this particular question but he smiled as he kneeled down in front of the boy and bit into one of his fingers. He showed him the blood and went through the hand signs and summoned one of his other nin-dogs, Uhei. The little boy's eyes went wide and he hugged Pakkun closer to him but he was smiling in delight at the white and grey dog with bandages. "I can summon nin-dogs."

Kakashi went to his kitchen to find a notepad he usually left there. Why he was never sure but he knew it was there. He began scrawling on it and then whistled to Uhei, still sniffing inquisitively at the boy on his couch. Kakashi handed Uhei the paper, which he took gingerly in his mouth, and then nodded as Kakashi whispered to him to take it to the Hokage.

He returned to his living room to find the kid now lying on his couch. Pakkun looked up at him almost pleadingly before sniffing at the child and curling up next to Naruto. "Kakashi-san…" he whimpered almost, laying his head on the child's chest.

"When did you really find him Pakkun?" Realizing the boy had fallen asleep in the course of five minutes. He reached out and touched the boy and did not see the flinching reaction so it stood to reason he was out cold.

"A few weeks ago. I saw his caretakers chasing him." Pakkun replied. "I couldn't get close to him till about a week ago. I just figured he hid in the ally till he thought it was safe to go home, Kakashi. I thought he was just a battered kid, I didn't realize they kicked him out for good."

"You still should have said something Pakkun." Kakashi scratched the pug's ears a bit and sat on the other side of the kid. The boy whimpered a bit himself and flinched away from the weight at his side. "You mean to say you don't recognize him?"

Pakkun sat up and regarded the little boy's face. "No, should I?"

"You're really going soft Pakkun." Kakashi laughed and pointed to a picture frame still above his headrest near his bed. "It's Sensei's son."

The pug turned his head to focus on the picture then back to the little boy. A few times he went between the image and the child before snorting in frustration. "I didn't realize Kakashi, I'm sorry."

Kakashi merely let his hands run through the boy's wet hair, trying unsuccessfully to get the excess water out. "I didn't at first either. The Hokage told me he was being taken care of."

"The Sandaime might have believed that." Pakkun sighed. "He is very afraid to cause trouble to others. I think more than just his caretakers come after him."

"It looks that way." Kakashi sighed and removed his headband and his boots, leaving them by the couch instead of in his room. There was no guarantee when the Hokage could break away from the tower and there was no guarantee it would be the Hokage. It could be someone else coming to see about the child he had written about in his note. "You keep watch Pakkun."

He reached under the child very carefully and lifted him up. He laid him under the covers of his bed and patted his head lightly before curling up next to the boy. He let his hand rest very carefully on the boy's back. In his mind it was to keep the kid warm, he had gotten wet in the rain and he did not want the boy to be sick. Pakkun knew, however, it was a gesture to comfort the child and in some ways Kakashi himself. Pakkun curled up at the end of the bed and watched the living area while the two slept.

The pug knew as soon as Kakashi brought up the fact of the child's parentage that his master was probably berating himself. The death of his sensei, his surrogate father, had hit hard and the pug was sure that the teenager behind him would return to his more rigorous training and missions. Sure enough he had and that was why the pug was glad for the off time they did get and that Kakashi still called on him when he needed him.

Still, as he looked back over the two, this was going to be a harder pill to swallow. Though Kakashi had been assured of his safety it seemed the Hokage had been hasty in saying that the child was safe.

It was hours later when Pakkun heard the door opening slowly. An elderly man walked through and though he did not wear the usual robes that the pug attributed to the older Hokage, he recognized the man's face and his scent.

Sandaime Hokage turned and focused on Pakkun then on Kakashi and Naruto. He walked quietly back to the room and he stood looking down at the pair for a long time, looking rather old and sad. Finally he broke the silence and reached out to pat the dog.

"Hello Pakkun."

"Hokage-sama." The pug replied and looked back as well. By now Naruto had realized there was a warm body next to his own; one that did not reach out and strike him. Naturally he had clung to Kakashi's shirt and his head rested in the crook of Kakashi's neck. In turn the Jounin had allowed his arm to curl around the little boy and his chin rested in now-dry blonde hair.

The Hokage sighed heavily and sat on the edge with Pakkun. His hand began petting the pug gently and Pakkun allowed it, seeing the distress in the older man's eyes. "I wish I could find him a home." The Hokage muttered. "This makes twice the orphanage has done something like this."

"The orphanage workers did this?" Kakashi's eye peered at the old man sitting on his bed. As Pakkun guessed Kakashi was already aware of the Hokage but opted to stay very still so not to disturb his guest. "You assured me he was being taken care of Hokage-sama."

"I'm afraid so yes." Sarutobi rubbed at the temples of his head, ignoring the last accusation. "The last time they tried poisoning him."

The admission made Pakkun snarl involuntarily and Kakashi's eye flashed with anger. Sarutobi sighed more and hung his head.

"No one will adopt him; no one even wants to keep an eye out for him. They all see a demon fox, not a little boy."

"People chase him and yell at him." Pakkun added.

"I know." Sarutobi nodded. "And it is hard to keep track of him when something like this happens. He just hides away from everyone including me. Nothing I've tried has convinced them that he nothing but a child."

Kakashi unconsciously tightened his grip on the four year old and in response the child's grip on him tightened in kind. If it were not for the fox's attack on Konoha his sensei would still be alive and this poor kid would not be hiding in alleys behind boxes.

Sarutobi stood and straightened. "I'll try to think of something else, thank you for finding him Kakashi." The older man made a move to take the boy but Kakashi shook his head at him rather forcibly. The boy whimpered and clung more desperately to the warmth he had found.

"He's fine here Hokage-sama…" Kakashi paused and rubbed slightly at the boy's back. "Until you figure something out that is."

The Hokage watched for a moment then nodded. "Very well then, I'll leave him with you."

Kakashi watched as the Hokage left the way he came, absently cursing himself in his head. It was too late now. He glanced at Pakkun who merely readjusted himself in the blankets to be closer to the two and sighed. Kakashi readjusted his hold on Naruto and closed his eye once more.

_I'll keep an eye on him Sensei, I promise._

_

* * *

_

Kakashi watched, almost in awe, as the silent little boy climbed his countertops. He had already found a bowl, a spoon, and was now in the process of trying to reach the cereal he had found on the top-most shelves of the cabinets in his kitchen.

Pakkun had bitten his foot to wake Kakashi, as apparently the boy had watched for a good while before deciding it was safe enough to slip away and explore the apartment.

Naruto was about to fall backwards and Kakashi instinctively reached out and stopped him. The blue eyes looked back and up to him, almost fearfully. Kakashi reached up to the higher shelves where the cereal box was precariously dangling from.

"I take it you're hungry then?"

"I'm sorry mister, really I am." The boy began apologizing profusely as Kakashi held him in the air.

"You don't have to be sorry Naruto-kun." Kakashi sat him at the small table and returned to his kitchen. "And you can call me Kakashi instead of 'mister' you know."

"Sorry Kakashi-sama."

Kakashi returned with breakfast for both of them. The voice was uncertain and formal but the cautious blue eyes looked up at him hopefully as he sat a bowl of cereal in front of him. Kakashi sat across from him and slid down the one mask to eat as well. Maybe it would put the kid at ease if he paid him no mind.

"You really don't mind Kakashi-sama?"

Kakashi waved his hand at him to go ahead and the kid tore into it as if he had not eaten in days. Cautiously Kakashi stood and returned with the cereal box and sat it in front of the boy who watched him as he did. When the bowl was empty the child carefully filled it again and smiled at it for a second before continuing to stuff himself.

"Naruto-kun," Kakashi probed gently after it seemed he was slowing. "When's the last time you ate?"

"I dunno. Couple days ago when the nice man at the ramen place let me have some." Naruto got a really happy look on his face as he spoke about it.

Kakashi merely nodded and glanced over at Pakkun, sitting nearby and keeping watch still. "Do you have any belongings that your caretakers still have?"

"Nope!"

Kami he was awfully chipper for having been abandoned on the streets. Kakashi could only stare at him and wonder why it had taken him this long to check up on the kid. Save for the assurances the Hokage had always given him he had never once thought about what had become of the boy. And that shamed him greatly.

"Do you think you could stay here with Pakkun, Naruto?"

Naruto glanced at the dog then back up to Kakashi. "You sure it's okay to?"

"Yes," Kakashi smiled a bit. "I just have to run a few errands."

"Okay."

Kakashi stood and went to grab his things. Pakkun followed him and waited for his instructions.

"I will be back Pakkun. Just makes sure he doesn't destroy anything or hurts himself. I need to find something other than what he came in with to wear…" he trailed off looking at the tattered clothing.

"Alright then," Pakkun nodded and returned to the kitchen and the boy. Kakashi leapt out a window in his bedroom and off towards the stores. He was completely confused about what he was about to do. What did one buy for a four year old child? Why did it feel like it was his responsibility to? Still he found himself meandering the streets of Konoha looking for clothing that obviously would not fit him. He was going to pay when the rumor mills got a hold on this information.

He returned hours later with a couple of bags in tow. He found Pakkun lying with the boy on his bed again. Naruto was curled up tightly next to Pakkun, Pakkun's head rested atop the boy's legs. It was a rather touching little scene as the pug looked rather content and asleep and Naruto had a smile plastered across his face even as he slept.

It occurred to Kakashi that this might be the only time the little boy had a safe place to sleep. He sat down the bags, took the ramen he had procured to the kitchen and then sat watching the two for another hour before Pakkun finally stirred awake.

"Oh, you're back." The pug grunted and sat up.

"You two looked so peaceful." Kakashi laughed and was rewarded with a sharp bite to his ankle. "Cut it out Pakkun."

Pakkun puffed away; finally able to leave now that Kakashi had returned. The summoned dog probably was exhausted by this point but Kakashi had not thought to explain to Naruto that the dog might disappear. Pakkun had kept himself here much longer than he was used to.

The blonde's blue eyes jerked open at the sound of the dog's leaving and he sat up looking frantic for a second. His eyes rested on Kakashi for a split second before he took off to hide. Kakashi sighed and allowed the boy to hide himself before calling out to him.

"Naruto. It's okay."

A blonde head peered out from behind his closet doors. Damn the kid was fast. "Oh sorry Kakashi-sama. You scared me."

Kakashi smirked to himself and opened the door all the way to peer down at him. "Why did I scare you?"

"I kinda forgot someone else lived here." Naruto frowned a bit and scanned his surroundings. "Where did Pakkun go?"

"He had to return home for a bit."

"Doesn't he live here?" Naruto was confused and Kakashi knelt down to be more at his level.

"He's a nin-dog. He's summoned with my chakra. When he runs out of chakra he goes home."

"Oh." Naruto fidgeted and looked at Kakashi's hands, remembering how he summoned the other dog just yesterday. "Will he come back?"

"If I need him too."

"Oh…."

"Anyway I think I have something better than Pakkun."

Earlier that day Kakashi had watched the boy's face light up when he had spoken about the 'nice man at the ramen place'. Knowing the boy's father's taste for the same food and how he had put a particular ramen place on the map in Konoha, Kakashi had gone to Ichiraku's and asked Teuchi about the boy. Sure enough Teuchi had tried to keep an out for the boy and whenever he thought the kid looked too thin or hungry he had lured the boy forward with the free food. It was the least he could do, the owner explained, seeing as Kakashi's Sensei had been a favorite of theirs. He was thankful also that someone seemed to have finally picked up on the boy and had taken him in.

Kakashi lead the boy out to the table again where he had originally left the food. He knew he did not have much in the apartment save for some things here and there and had brought some home with him. He waited patiently and soon enough the kid came out to watch him. He motioned to the box and the boy's face did light up and he rushed forward.

"Thanks Kakashi-sama! You're like the nicest adult EVER!"

Technically speaking Kakashi was still a teenager himself. He was only eighteen, but to Naruto Kakashi seemed much older. Kakashi felt much older too. He had been a full fledge ninja of the village technically since he was five. Most Jounin felt much older than their age, even more so to someone who had been inducted so long ago. To Kakashi he stopped being a kid that mission into Rock to destroy that bridge, so he did not discourage the boy by saying his age.

Like a ravenous animal the boy ate and Kakashi sighed as he watched on. Sandaime had yet to get back to him and Kakashi figured that really there was not much the Hokage was able to do. He could send Naruto back to the orphanage and try to keep a closer watch on their actions, or he could force some family to take the boy where his treatment would probably be the same, if not worse, than at the orphanage.

Involuntarily he looked to the other room in the apartment. It was somewhat small and he used it to throw things like extra weapons and gear into. It really was not a room as it was a storage bin. He wondered idly about where he could stick those items if he emptied out the room then berated himself on how insane he was. He was ANBU.

Still….

"Finished?" he asked as the boy seemed to slide down the chair and gave off a contented sigh as he went. The child nodded his head and patted his stomach. "Come on let's get you dressed then."

"OH! Are my clothes dry?" the boy asked as he jumped off the chair.

"They were too torn. I found you something else though." Kakashi explained as sat out the black pants and cream colored t-shirt he had finally found that afternoon. Naruto merely blinked at them for a moment before reaching out to touch them and let his fingers caress the fabric.

The kid quickly changed, carefully placing Kakashi's oversized t-shirt back on his bed and went about smoothing out the wrinkles as best he could from it. Kakashi was confused by the action but wanted to guess that it was an attempt to please the teenager. Naruto was doing everything he could think of to keep Kakashi in a good mood.

As with the impromptu breakfast Kakashi decided that perhaps ignoring him would better put the child at ease. He kept alert to Naruto's movements but he merely returned to his living room, found a book and perched himself in a windowsill to read.

For his credit, the boy merely peered out at him, watched for a couple of minutes and then went about exploring his surroundings some more. Naruto found the discarded paper he kept in his kitchen and the pencil there and then proceeded to perch himself a few feet away near another window. He would talk quietly to himself as he drew and for the most part became nearly nonexistent in the apartment.

Kakashi smirked a little and decided to actually read what he had picked up and enjoyed the comforting quiet. Sure he could tell the kid was there, he had been a ninja too long and Naruto was nearly a beacon of Chakra to him but the quiet and the calm seemed to exude from the boy and it was relaxing.

When the knock came at his door it somewhat startled him and he noted the hour. Kakashi slipped off his perch, quietly walking around the blonde who did not seem in the least bit phased by the sudden nose and kept to his activity…whatever it was.

Kakashi opened the door and let in the Hokage standing there with his hands clasped behind his back.

"Hokage-sama." Kakashi bowed his head a little and allowed the older man to enter. Sandaime stepped in and smiled a bit at the sight of the little boy on the living room floor then back to Kakashi.

"Has he been bothering you?"

"Not really." Kakashi scratched his head. "He kind of keeps to himself."

"Ah, so he does." Sandaime nodded and stepped further into the room to eye the blonde. The older man could clearly see he had different clothes, he looked rather content and for once in the Hokage's knowledge the boy was smiling. Not that fake grin he always flashed, a real honest smile. "So I assume you realize I haven't found him anywhere to go."

"I would have figured as much." Kakashi sighed and rubbed at his neck anxiously.

Sandaime chuckled a bit when Naruto sat up and eyed him and Kakashi talking. Usually the kid would shrink at the sight of him but the blue orbs settled on Kakashi and then turned back to his drawing. Every so often the blue eyes would dart over to them and then away before he thought either men had noticed him.

"Maybe….maybe I could keep an eye on him." Kakashi whispered and shocked the Hokage's gaze back onto the barely-eighteen-year-old. Before the Hokage could find the right words the ANBU captain continued on with his thought. "I have a small room that would suit him for now, and though I am ANBU Pakkun could stay with him when I'm away."

"Pakkun would agree to such a thing?" Sandaime snorted thinking of the dour little pug and his usual gruffness.

"Pakkun's the one that found him." Kakashi merely shrugged in response taking another glance toward the boy who quickly ducked his head again.

Sandaime could not help but give a small laugh at the sight before him. Here was one of their most feared and talented ANBU Captains, barely an adult himself, trying to logically explain why it would be better just to leave the boy at his apartment. His line of thinking was logical, as was anything Kakashi ever came up with, but his reasoning had to be purely instinctual.

"My only other option," he began slowly eyeing Kakashi to gauge how much of his logic was based on guilt or if it was based on something else. "Was to find him an apartment and have someone check on him every so often. I did not want to go that route because he's much too young for that. But then again we've had children not much older than him graduate from the academy."

"Why hasn't he started there anyways? Most start around four or five, depending on their birthdates." Kakashi snorted and glared back at the Hokage.

"I believe the orphanage put it as "They did not want him learning any tricks to use against them." That is if I remember it correctly." Hokage took a puff on his pipe. "They thought he'd be too dangerous and told him he could not go. He never asked after that."

"And you didn't do anything …" Kakashi prodded a bit was ignored by the older man.

"Naruto come here would you?" The Hokage called out and the boy sat up uncertainly and came towards them, head down. He had not been awake when the Hokage came previously. He must have thought that the Hokage finally found where he was hiding.

Naruto stood still, head bowed in front of them for a few seconds while his fingers played with the hem of his new shirt. "Yes Oji-san?"

"Oji-san…" Kakashi could not help but snort a bit in laughter at the other man's 'nickname'. It earned him a hard glare from the Hokage before the man knelt down in front of Naruto.

"Have you been chased out again Naruto-kun?" he asked quietly and Naruto nodded his head. "And how did they do it this time?"

"Told me if I came back they'd…they'd break my legs so I couldn't." Naruto admitted sheepishly and looked predictably towards his legs. Kakashi tried hard to quell the instant rage but what he really wanted to do was fly out the window and find whoever 'they' was. To threaten a child with such a thing? What kind of people were there working at the orphanage? "They said just to stay in the ally or go back to where I came from…"

Before the Sandaime or Kakashi could say anything more the boy rushed in again with a comment. "But I don't know where I came from Oji-san so I couldn't go there."

Sandaime gently patted the boy on the head. "You came from right here in the Leaf Village, Naruto-kun. I hear you found a new friend though." He quickly changed the subject to help alleviate any anxiety the boy suddenly acquired. "A little pug?"

"Oh yeah!" Naruto nodded enthusiastically. "He's Kakashi-sama's nin-dog Pakkun! He wanted to play with me and he brought Kakashi-sama with him…"

Blue eyes smiled up at Kakashi briefly then turned back onto the Sandaime who was now smiling widely around his pipe, amused by the sudden change in behavior.

"He's a ninja too. He's one of the first ones to be nice to me!"

"Do you like Kakashi, Naruto-kun?"

"Well sure," the little boy became quiet again. "He bought me new clothes and brought home ramen and let me sleep in his bed, and…"

"So would you be willing to listen to Kakashi if he told you to do something?" Sandaime asked and cut off the boy's long list of 'good' Kakashi had done for him so far.

"Sure!" the boy nodded happily and flashed an even bigger grin.

"You can go back to playing, Naruto." Sandaime chuckled and waved the boy off but the boy stood glued to the ground in front of them.

"You mean I don't have to go back?"

"Not this time Naruto-kun." Sandaime reassured him. "Go back to what you were doing."

They both could tell that Naruto was reluctant to do so, unsure by the change in routine. He eventually did what he was told and returned to glancing back at them both as they turned from him facing now the kitchen.

"Kakashi," Sandaime started to say but the ANBU cut him off.

"Hokage-sama, all due respect, but I think it would be better than just throwing him out on his own. To just return him where people only hurt him seems cruel. To just throw him out on his own seems even crueler."

"This does seem a better agreement." The Sandaime relented and patted Kakashi on the shoulder. "Even with you taking missions and doing as you are now, you will be here a great deal of the time. Maybe I can get him started in the Academy without anyone telling him no and he won't even be here that much."

"But I could make sure he's actually getting fed…has somewhere safe to sleep."

Sandaime frowned over at the boy. "He is a bit thin isn't he?"

"You should watch him eat. Eats more than I do…."

"Well that just might be genetics." The Sandaime snorted.

"Well maybe there's more genetics in him then…he's just afraid to trust it." Kakashi muttered and looked over his shoulder in time to see the kid jerk his head away from them. There was a long draw of silence as the Hokage took several drags from his pipe, allowing the smoke to filter out slowly. He was mulling the idea over, Kakashi could tell, and was unsure if he agreed or disagreed with his own reasoning.

"Very well then Kakashi-san. I will leave him in your care. I will have a monthly stipend drew up for his care and send it to you along with your pay for your missions. I'll give you a few more days off to get things settled and arranged." The old man's eyes closed as he genuinely smiled. "And so I can get him into a class at the Academy."

"Of course Hokage-sama." Kakashi nodded in response and the old man left soundlessly out the door. It had not gone unnoticed by Naruto and he frowned as he watched after the retreating Hokage. Kakashi smirked a bit and walked over to where the boy sat on his floor.

"What's wrong Naruto-kun?"

"Well, Oji-san left."

"He did."

"He's not going to take me back to the Orphanage or the Tower?" Naruto's frown deepened.

"No, not this time." Kakashi reached down to ruffle the blonde hair and smiled more as the boy stubbornly tried to reposition the spikes once he removed his hand. "We both thought you would like to stay here."

Naruto's eyes went wide and his gaze was riveted on the older man. "You mean it? Really?"

"Yes really."

The blonde latched himself around Kakashi's legs and the Jounin involuntarily froze at the sudden rush of it. He could hear the continual stream of 'thank you' over and over again, muffled by how the boy's head was buried as he hugged the older teenager. Finally Kakashi recovered enough to reach down and just let his hand rest in the blonde spikes as the boy continued to thank him.

* * *

"Mom said not to play with him…"  
"Why doesn't anyone come to get him?"  
"Bet no one wants him, Dad said he was trouble."

Naruto hunched his shoulders and tried desperately to keep his eyes glued to the dirt road in front of him as he left the Academy. The whispers were always the same it was just different people who pointed and talked when they thought he was not looking. To Naruto it was like just being back at the Orphanage where the adults openly told children not to play with him or talk to him.

The Hokage had tried to explain that it would be hard to make friends at first, he had started later than the others in his class, but not to worry. That was well over a few months ago and Naruto still felt like shrinking into a corner and staying there permanently. The only one he felt comfortable around here was Iruka-sensei and even he had been somewhat dismissive of Naruto at first. Everyone else tended to steer clear of him and shut up if he got near or asked them anything.

So it was not hard to see why he always rushed back to the apartment he now lived in. He guessed he could call it his home now because he had yet to be kicked out yet. The other occupant of the apartment, Kakashi, usually came home a little after he did and the older teen would either talk to him or silently read somewhere in the apartment depending on his mood. Naruto was just happy there was someone who recognized he was there and was nice to him.

This week, however, Kakashi was not there. He had explained to Naruto that he was going on a mission. He was going to be gone for a few days more than likely and he would return after he was finished. Kakashi had pointed out all the obvious things and told him if he needed anything to go to the Hokage or to his teachers.

That had been a good week or so ago and Naruto became even more depressed returning home. It had been concerning the first couple of nights to feel completely alone again. A part of him knew, however, that the man would return like promised. It just did not seem right that the silver-haired-man would leave him.

Naruto carefully opened the door and shut it behind him. He tossed aside his books and jacket and moved to the kitchen and began looking for something to eat. One of the big pluses about staying in the apartment was there was always food and Kakashi never discouraged him from taking anything. He still found time to harass the old man and the ramen stand and enjoyed the attention the girl working the counter gave him but he went there less often as a beggar rather now he could pay for what he wanted.

Naruto took his snack to his room, leaving the door slightly propped open but mostly shut, and sat in the center of his bed looking around. He was bored to death in the small apartment by himself, but Kakashi had not left Pakkun behind and he was too scared to leave the apartment. He was left with very little to entertain himself but the idea of going through the village alone was terrifying to him.

Maybe the old ladies who had left him before would find him and be mad that he was out. Maybe the villagers would see him alone and think he was up to trouble. There were too many 'maybes' and he did not want to risk it.

So it was not so much of a surprise that he woke, sometime later that evening, to the sound of the door shutting. Naruto rubbed at his eyes and looked out the window to note it was late now. He still felt a little apprehensive about this new arrangement. So as he heard the door shut he merely crept up to his bedroom door to peek out instead of rushing out to greet the older occupant of the home. It was possible that someone found out Naruto was here and it was not Kakashi coming home at all.

In the dark light the boy caught the sluggish movement of whoever had entered as they shuffled down the hallway and past his room. The familiar gray outfit and the dog mask hung haphazardly over a shoulder. It put Naruto slightly at ease, yet he still held back from rushing forward. Something was different in the way his roommate walked.

Naruto poked his head out further to keep Kakashi in his sights as he moved into his own room. Kakashi merely slumped into his bed with little more than a heavy 'thump'. That was different too. Kakashi always took off his headband and his boots. He always set those things to the right of his bed; the boots on the floor and the headband on a table. This time he did not do those things.

After a few minutes Naruto began to inch towards the room. Kakashi remained motionless on his bed and Naruto felt a gnawing in his gut. What if this was not Kakashi? What if it was someone dressed like him? He bit down the anxious gnawing and got himself positioned at the side of Kakashi's bed, watching the older man breathe ragged breaths as he lay on his stomach. His arms were up around his head, covering his face a bit. Naruto could see the rips in the normally pristine gray outfit and noted there were red discolorations around each one.

Kakashi still seemed unaware of his presence and normally Naruto could not sneak up on him, even when they were playing. So slowly he reached out and touched the other boy's arm before quickly retracting his hand and darting under the bed. But nothing happened and he quietly crawled out and stared at the closed eyes.

Naruto noted the long scar over the other eye, the one normally obscured by his headband. Kakashi only took off the headband when he was going to sleep; otherwise he kept it on a lopsided angle across his face. Naruto quietly chewed his lip and wondered what he should do. Something was obviously wrong.

After a while he just went to instinct. He found Kakashi's feet in the darkness and quietly tugged on the offending boots until they dropped quietly on the floor. He quickly positioned them upright like Kakashi liked them. He then climbed up in the bed, careful to not make too much movement, and undid Kakashi's headband, placing it on the end table nearby. The dog mask was tougher to deal with as it was latched around Kakashi's neck. But he finally succeeded in figuring out how to make the strange wire stretch and release its hold. Naruto slipped off the bed and returned the dog mask to where it hung on the wall. He had to jump a few times to get it there but he smiled as the mask was where it belonged.

He then returned to staring at the older teen, still asleep and still breathing wrong. Naruto eyed the rips and the red markings on his gear. For a moment it confused him but then he balked when he remembered what the people at the orphanage would do to him. He used to get cuts and bruises. The cuts would ooze red stuff for a short while then close up. He got closer and fingered one of the rips and saw a much larger scratch than he had ever gotten at his old home. And it was still oozing red stuff, not like with the smaller ones he received.

Without thinking Naruto prodded it a little more with his finger. Kakashi moaned a little and turned away from him. Naruto cringed and quickly backed away, thinking he had woken Kakashi. But then he let his eyes travel to his finger. The red ooze was now on his finger and it felt funny. He quickly wiped it on his sleeve then turned back to the prone teenager.

"Kakashi-sama?" he poked at the teenager's back. No answer. "Kakashi-sama?"

He still was not answered. Naruto was starting to get scared. Kakashi had to be hurt. But he was not able to tell him that for sure. Did that mean he was really hurt? Or was he just really tired and ignoring Naruto? Was he bothering Kakashi?

Naruto shot off for the door. He had to find Oji-san. This was not right. Kakashi normally did not ignore him. Course he had only been there for a couple of months, maybe Kakashi was getting tired of him. Still it did not feel right and Naruto rushed out into the darkness towards the Hokage's Tower. It was a pathway ingrained in his mind much like an instinct and he darted down the darkened streets that used to scare him.

When he finally arrived he was met with more darkness. He had climbed quite quickly to the windows he knew belonged to the office and stood in their frames looking around desperately. The Hokage's office was devoid of life and most of all devoid of the old man. The old man was always in the tower so why couldn't he find him?

"What are you doing here?"

The voice from behind him startled Naruto and he fell into the office. He scrambled backwards till he hit a wall and found himself facing someone dressed like Kakashi only with a Cat mask over his face.

"I'll ask again," the Cat came closer. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I was looking for Oji-san!" Naruto cringed and hid his face. Sometimes Ninja treated him like other people did…like they did not like him or they wanted to hurt him. For a second things were quiet.

Then Naruto froze as he felt the man's hands pick him up and set him on the chair in the Hokage's office. "The Hokage is not here right now. You'll have to come back in the morning."

"But…" Naruto looked up at the Cat warily. "But Kakashi-nii-san."

"Do you mean Hatake Kakashi?" Something about what he had said caught the Cat's attention. "He was supposed to report a day ago. He's running a little behind."

"But he's home!" Naruto frowned. Maybe the Cat had been told to tell him that if he came asking about Kakashi.

"Wait here." The Cat said briskly and was quickly out the windows again. Naruto watched him go and sat quietly in the darkness. It was eerie and quiet in the room without the Hokage or the sun being up. He hugged his knees to his chest and rocked a little to calm his nerves.

It seemed like most of the evening had passed when finally the door opened to the office. Naruto tensed but felt greatly relieved when the old man came through the door, followed closely by Cat.

"Oji-san!" he leapt off the couch and latched onto the old man's leg for a second. Then he began to tug on his clothing. "Oji-san, something is wrong. Kakashi-sama came home but he…he…"

"Slow down Naruto." The old Hokage patted his head and knelt down. "If he yelled at you, you probably…"

"No he fell on his bed." Naruto frowned and actually fell back on the floor of the room to show the Hokage what he meant. "Like this, then he didn't get back up again. He didn't take off his boots or hang up his mask…and he's got red stuff on his gear."

The Hokage blinked then stood and turned towards the Cat-masked guard. "Find a medic to meet me there please. Sometimes he just gets in a state of mind to go home if he's hurt badly enough."

The Cat nodded and took off in an instant. The old man came and picked Naruto up carefully. "Did you touch him Naruto?" he pointed to the red streak on Naruto's sleeve.

"Hai and he didn't move Oji-san. He just made a noise." Naruto frowned more as he and the Hokage began moving through the tower.

"It's alright Naruto-kun. We'll go see what the trouble is together."

Naruto sighed heavily and buried his head in the neck of the old man. To Naruto the Hokage was moving way too slow and he wanted to yell at him to pick up the pace. He kept quiet though and carefully noted how many blocks they had till they arrived home.

Finally as they approached the apartment that was 'his' Naruto berated himself for leaving the door open. That was stupid, Kakashi would be mad to know he left it wide open after he left…

"You did not leave it open Naruto-kun." The Hokage assured him as he closed the door behind him. He had seen the child's momentary fixation upon the object and could assume Naruto was worried about leaving Kakashi unprotected. "I told the Medic to leave it for us."

As they neared Naruto's room the Hokage put him down. "Just stay here okay."

"But…"

"It's alright just stay here." The Hokage turned and went towards Kakashi's room. He saw a strange person standing back there over the bed and Naruto wanted to rush in and question it but stood in his doorway watching. The Hokage blocked his view standing in Kakashi's doorway and though he could hear the quiet mutterings between them he did not know what they were saying.

He fought back a yawn and resisted going to sit on his bed. He knew if he did he might fall asleep again and miss something. The way everyone was acting he had been right, Kakashi was hurt. He waited and waited and finally got bored and wandered to the living room and sat heavily on the couch.

It was not long till he lost the battle with sleep and found himself in dreams of when others had come to hurt him. He fought to get away but found himself surrounded. People yelling at him, throwing stones, and the orphanage workers who would grab him so hard it left fingerprints. He flinched and ran but could not seem to get away from them all.

Naruto started when hands wrapped around him and fought to get away but a soothing voice stopped him and he woke to find himself being picked up by the Hokage, smiling sadly as Naruto blinked up at him.

"There now Naruto-kun, it's alright." The Hokage reassured the little boy and Naruto could tell he was carrying him back towards the rooms. He winced a bit at the light now coming in the windows but did little else but allow the Hokage to carry him. He remained still as the Hokage sat on a chair next to the older teen's bed and positioned himself so Naruto could see Kakashi clearly.

"Thank you for coming to find us Naruto-kun." The Hokage stroked his hair quietly. "Sometimes Kakashi doesn't know when to seek out help when he needs it."

To Naruto Kakashi looked better. He was laying on his back now and his breathing did not seem as hitched or ragged. The way his forehead had been creased before was now smooth and the man seemed to be sleeping for real now, not just laying there with his eyes closed. There were no more red discolorations on his gear, he was not even in his gear anymore as he was simply in a black shirt and was covered up to his chest by covers. He could see some of the white bandages on the man's arms and on the side of his neck.

"Your teachers taught you about Chakra right Naruto-kun?"

"Hai," he nodded and wiped the sleep away from his eyes. "Everybody has Chakra and everyone has different types."

"Very good." The Hokage chuckled. "Well everyone also has just so much Chakra. Sometimes you can use too much of your Chakra. When you do that it makes you very sick and very tired."

Naruto blinked up at the old man and then looked back at Kakashi. The old man would not be telling him this unless it was important and the way Kakashi had fallen over that night seemed to fit the bill. "Did Kakashi-nii-san use too much of his chakra?"

The Hokage began laughing. "Is that what you are calling him Naruto-kun? It's no longer 'Kakashi-sama'?"

"I shouldn't call him that should I?" Naruto shrunk and frowned over at the man still sleeping. He had not called Kakashi so to his face but he had slipped a few times tonight because he had been worried. "I'm sorry I shouldn't…"

"Iie Naruto-kun, I think its fitting." The Hokage reassured him. "And yes your nii-san used too much chakra. But don't worry he'll be fine in a few days. He just needs to rest now."

"What about all the scratches?"

"We took care of those Naruto. Now you should sleep some more if you're going to go to school today."

Naruto frowned and clung to the old man a bit. He had forgotten about having to get ready for school. He found his eyes drooping against his will but he fought them harder than he had before. He wanted to make sure what the Hokage said was true…that Kakashi was alright.

"Or would you rather stay here today?" the Hokage whispered into his hair and Naruto nodded heavily. Assured that he was allowed to stay he drifted back to sleep. He could hear the Hokage chuckling more to himself, the sound amplified by Naruto's head resting on the old man's chest. Before he fell all the way back to sleep he heard a whispered one way conversation.

"It would seem you two were meant to be brothers, with or without Minato here to make it happen."

* * *

The next few days were completely nerve wracking. Naruto finally returned to school, mostly out of boredom, but he was paying little to no attention whatsoever. Sitting in the apartment just waiting seemed tedious and he was sure Kakashi would be ticked if he found out he had missed too many days of class.

Still each day he would rush home only to still be by himself because Kakashi was still resting. Naruto understood what the Hokage had told him but it still seemed worrisome that the other man had not yet awakened, even just a little bit.

"Naruto?"

Naruto looked up from where he had positioned himself in the outside practice yards during their break. He found Iruka standing over him. The Chuunin instructor he finally felt safe enough around was smiling down at him, stretching the odd scar across his nose even further. Naruto found he could only smile back marginally then went back to fingering the edge of his jacket sleeve, the dark gray fabric becoming slightly worn and thin from the constant attention.

"What's up?" Iruka prodded as he sat down next to Naruto. "You don't seem yourself today."

"I dunno." Naruto shrugged and tried to keep his face neutral but it did not work on the more eagle eyed Chuunin.

"Aw come on. I thought we were friends now. You can tell me if something's wrong." Iruka met his eyes and smiled a little more to encourage him. "You haven't said a word all day. Usually you're driving us nuts."

"Sorry."

"It's okay; we're just worried is all."

Naruto took another glance at the Chuunin. He was pretty sure there was no 'we' it was more of 'him' that was worried. The other teachers seemed put off by his presence and did little to encourage him or even talk to him. Naruto struggled with the idea of telling Iruka what had happened or not. It always seemed like he was a secret.

Then again the Chuunin had called him a friend…

"It's my nii-san." Naruto whispered very lightly. He did not want anyone else hearing what he had just said.

"You have a brother?" Iruka acted somewhat surprised by the revelation.

"Well kinda. He lets me stay with him since the orphanage didn't want me there." Naruto squirmed, uneasy by the one on one attention but somewhat pleased by it at the same time. Still he kept his voice to a low whisper. "He's a ninja but he kinda came home hurt."

"Oh so you're worried then." Iruka tapped his chin as if in thought.

"He's been sleeping an awful lot. Hokage-sama said he'd wake up in a few days but…"

"But he hasn't yet." Iruka reached over and patted his head. "Don't worry the Hokage is usually right. Who is your brother?"

"Kakashi-sama…"

Iruka seemed to sit up much straighter. He seemed surprised by Naruto's admission. Naruto cringed. Maybe he should not have said that last part.

"Hatake Kakashi?" the older man asked.

"Why does everyone ask that?" Naruto huffed, remembering the same tone from the Cat masked guard a few nights ago. "I don't know anyone else named Kakashi."

"Good point." Iruka shrugged and smiled while he scratched at his ponytail. "Well you shouldn't worry too much Naruto, if Kakashi is your brother. He's a genius and he trained under the Yondaime himself, I'm sure he'll be fine."

Iruka stood and walked away, reassuming his role of supervisor, walking about making sure no one was getting into too much trouble. Naruto watched him go smiling a little. He had not understood the sudden fascination but he sensed the respect. He also knew who the Yondaime was…they all did. Involuntarily he glanced up at the mountain side and smiled even more. Kakashi-nii-san trained under the Yondaime. That had to mean he was a really good ninja.

But the more he sat and thought about it the more anxious he got. He goofed up a lot. He sometimes was not sure what he was doing, and unless it was Iruka teaching the lesson, he was not answered when he asked a question. Maybe Kakashi would be disappointed if he did not start doing well.

The thought made Naruto frown as he glanced over at the closest group of children. They were all playing and smiling, grateful for the break in the tedious work they did most of the day. Most of them had families and parents who taught them outside of school. He had watched from a distance as Sasuke showed everyone what his brother had taught him, as Choji had explained the red lines on his face, and Ino had told everyone proudly what her father was going to teach her. Naruto was still learning to read mostly. Everyone called him an idiot and teased him but he knew better. Where he lived before no one wanted him to learn anything.

And it really had not changed much…save for the Iruka, the Hokage, and Kakashi. Something clicked on like a light switch and he quickly found his feet and made his way to the doors of the school, quietly sneaking away from everyone in sight. He had to catch up to everyone else…maybe even pass them. He had to stop relying on everyone else and just do something.

He could not screw around anymore. He had to make everyone proud of him. Maybe then they would not treat him like they did.

* * *

Naruto crept into the apartment later that evening, papers and books crammed as tightly into his short arms as he could manage. No one had really bothered him on the way home, they never did, and he had been able to sneak into the library and get away with a few books before anyone had noticed.

He deposited them as carefully as he could on the couch and crawled up there as well and picked up the top book that was given to them in class. Naruto had his mind set now. He had determined while at school that he had to catch up to everyone else. The rest of the day he had been intent on listening and went about trying to pick up whatever he could. If they weren't going to help him then he would just have to figure it out on his own. That was what he decided.

So he tugged off his gray jacket, straightened out his black tee and settled the book in his lap. The first thing he was worried about was the hand signs they all were supposed to be learning and memorizing. He knew something was wrong about the way he did most of the signs because the other kids were snickering when he practiced. He opened the book to that particular section and began mimicking what he could from the pictures.

Naruto was so focused and so concentrated on what he had set out to do he was not aware of his audience, quietly propped up in the hallway watching him. It had not even occurred to Naruto to check and see if Kakashi had woken up yet.

"It's a lot harder to learn from the books you know."

Naruto jumped and instinctively placed the book over his head. After a few moments of silence he realized it was Kakashi's voice that had startled him and momentarily he was elated.

"Kakashi-nii…." He stopped though and began to fidget under the surprised blink that the older teen had thrown his way. Naruto had been right, he should not have started calling Kakashi that, the man did not like it.

"Oto…" the older man finally said in a low whisper and a hand placed itself on Naruto's head. Naruto smiled up at him and carefully stood on the couch to hug the taller man. Again he felt the hesitation from the other but did not look up to see it. Instead Kakashi merely ruffled his hair and reached over the back of the couch to pick up the book to see what he had been reading. "Why don't you just ask your teachers to show you?"

"Cause they don't show me right. It doesn't look like everyone else's." Naruto let Kakashi go and tried to take the book away but found it tightly held in Kakashi's grip. "I gotta catch up!"

For a while nothing was said and the older man kept his gaze on the book in question, holding it in one hand, his thumb keeping the book rigid and upright. He glanced down at Naruto momentarily, long enough for Naruto to realize his headband was back in its proper place but he had not yet changed from the plain black clothing he had been sleeping in.

"Let me see Bird…how they showed you to do it." Kakashi finally let the book drop to his side and Naruto quickly put his hands up in what he believed was the sign. He had not gotten to that one yet so he was not sure if he was doing it right or not. By the way Kakashi's eye crinkled and he seemed to frown; Naruto could easily figure it was wrong.

Carefully the older man reached over with his free hand and gently tugged Naruto's one finger into a different position and then another. Then he made the tips of his thumbs come together.

"Just hold that like that till I get dressed okay Naruto? It takes a while for it to become muscle memory."

Naruto creased his forehead and focused on his hands and how they were set up. But instead of just sitting there he followed Kakashi. "What's that?"

"It means your muscles will just know what to do without you thinking about it." Kakashi replied as he threw off the short sleeved black shirt and reached for a longer sleeved black top. It was more like the ones that he wore under his gear.

"Oh." Naruto watched as Kakashi went about grabbing the shirt and a flak jacket from his closet. He frowned but did not let his hands drop yet. "You gotta leave again?"

"No but I do have to make my report to the Hokage." Kakashi reached for his dog mask but then left it hanging on the wall. "I suppose I should walk. He'd be angry if I came like I normally do."

"He said not to let you use your chakra." Naruto nodded enthusiastically, remembering what the Hokage told him. "You overdid it."

"So I did." Kakashi muttered testing one of his arms and winced as he did. "What are you a watch dog now?"

"Yep!" Naruto nodded more.

"Okay then, Watch Dog." Kakashi leaned down and poked him in the side, causing him to release his hold on the hand sign as he tried to deflect the blow. "Let's go."

"Where we going?"

"I assume you've eaten everything in sight by now. I was a few days behind schedule."

Naruto rushed out to the kitchen, smiling. There was still food left. He had been careful to not eat it all. He opened the cabinets he could reach and smiled as Kakashi came strolling out into view.

"See! There's still food."

"I still need to report to the Hokage." Kakashi came up and shut the doors as Naruto watched. "Anyway I don't feel like cooking and you can't."

"Who says?!"

"I do."

"Aww c'mon Nii-san!" Naruto quickly put himself behind Kakashi and followed him out of the door. Kakashi turned and closed it and locked it. Then he stuck his hands in the vest jacket he had put on instead of the gray suit and arm protectors. They both began to walk down the long hallway of the apartment building they lived in. His step was still a little off and Naruto had no problem keeping up with Kakashi, which he normally did.

"Are you still tired?" he questioned carefully.

"A little." Kakashi nodded back. "I assume the Hokage told you what I did?"

"Uh huh. You used too much Chakra." Naruto looked up at Kakashi who kept his eyes stead and ahead. "He said that was dangerous. Why'd you do that?"

"Because sometimes you don't have a choice." Kakashi replied back.

As they hit the streets Naruto became silent. He had begun to learn if he did not make too much noise people did not pay him attention and so he opted for that instead of being speared with such looks. The two of them walked along in silence, keeping a steady pace through the early evening traffic of the streets.

Naruto slowly began to realize their path was not headed for the tower. He looked up to Kakashi, the older man's gaze still forward and unmoving. Kakashi always did what he had to do first…so why weren't they going to see the old man? Kakashi did not look down or say a word so they continued on till they were at the barbeque place and Kakashi was moving towards and open booth.

"Kakashi is that you?"

Naruto ducked behind Kakashi without warning. The booming voice had startled him a bit. He found he had to keep moving though, as Kakashi was moving towards the loud voice, not away from it.

"Asuma, Kurenai." Kakashi put up a gloved hand and waved to whoever had called out to him.

"This must be a miracle. You're out in public." The male voice began and a small laugh followed. "And you're not in your usual get up. What gives?"

"We were beginning to wonder if you were still alive." A female voice joined the conversation. "No one's seen you for a while now."

"Sorry to disappoint you." Kakashi's voice was light and somewhat sarcastic…he was not actually sorry, Naruto could tell. He took the opportunity to peer around Kakashi's legs to get a look at who obviously recognized Kakashi.

The woman's eyes settled on him as did the man's. The man was bearded and rather broad built. The woman's eyes were red and Naruto found himself transfixed by the odd coloring. After a while the focus started to unsettle him and he made a move to duck behind Kakashi's legs again.

"Who's the runt Kakashi?"

Naruto flinched when Kakashi's hand stopped him from getting to safety. The gloved hand rested lightly atop his head, stopping any attempt to hide or dart away.

"This is Naruto."

For a moment the two just blinked at Naruto and he wished Kakashi would let go so he could hide. Apparently they had enough of staring at him because the woman frowned and took her gaze to Kakashi.

"Kakashi you didn't."

"I did what I had to Kurenai." Kakashi shrugged a bit.

"But he…"

"You didn't see him." For the first time Naruto heard a bite in Kakashi's tone and he inwardly flinched. He looked up and saw the tight crease in Kakashi's brow. "He was in an ally, drenched and it looked like someone took a training sword to him. What was I supposed to do?"

"Tell someone!" the woman named Kurenai snapped back.

"He does seem awfully jumpy." Asuma leaned forward to inspect Naruto more closely.

Kakashi sighed and pointed to the two seats beside the people he was talking with. "Since you two seem bent on conversing mind if we join you? I'm starving."

"Fine, whatever," the man chuckled and switched to sitting beside the woman with odd eyes and Kakashi shuffled Naruto into the booth and trapped him there.

"Naruto this is Sarutobi Asuma and Yuhi Kurenai."

"Oh…like Oji-san? I hear people calling him Sarutobi too." Naruto questioned and it earned a loud booming laugh from the man Kakashi had called Asuma. "Sorry…"

"Nah you're alright kid." Asuma rubbed at his chin, covered in dark black hair. "The Man is old, it fits him nicely."

A woman came up and momentarily looked in Naruto's direction. Kakashi barely gave her time though and began ordering. Asuma and Kurenai followed suit. She hurried off and again the two strangers were looking at Kakashi.

"So that's what you're talking about?"

"Hai." Kakashi muttered and looked over at Naruto. "Try Bird again Naruto-kun."

"You can't possibly be drilling him alre…" Kurenai began to spout but then stopped when she saw what they could all easily pick up on. Kakashi reached over and this time, to Naruto's delight, he only had to fix two fingers. He got the thumbs right. "Wait…"

"They're showing him wrong." Kakashi responded. "He asked me to show him so I am. He was trying to get it all from the books they give you for the basic forms."

"How long this time n….Kakashi-san?" Naruto quickly corrected himself this time; sure that Kakashi did not want to be embarrassed in front of other Ninja.

"Till the food comes." Kakashi said lightly and then turned his attention to the other two. "So? You two on some kind of date or something?"

"What?!" both proclaimed rather loudly and Naruto tried not to laugh as a blush spread on the woman's and man's face.

"I found him here, just like we did you." Kurenai sputtered finally and speared Kakashi with a hard glare. "Like I would date a scruffy, lazy man…"

"Ne, ne." Kakashi threw up his hands and waved them back and forth in front of him. "Merely asking."

"You hear about Uchiha Itachi?" Asuma went about ignoring the kid seeing that it was what Kakashi was effectively doing. He had heard the same concerns from his father, from time to time, but had always brushed them off. Now he saw firsthand the effects of such abuse have had in a short amount of time.

"He just graduated. He's seven." Kurenai added in. "The Uchiha Clan is parading him around like the next big genius. He's a smart kid but he's odd."

"Well the Uchiha always did press their kids hard." Kakashi muttered more to himself than the two at the table. "I'm sure he's a great asset to the Clan."

"Damn idiots the lot of them." Asuma snorted and shook his head. "Sasuke won't be any better I doubt…"

"I know him."

Naruto's small little addition to the conversation surprised Kakashi a little. Up till now Naruto had been silent as a statue in the presence of strangers. Hell, unless the kid was with him, the Hokage, or the academy instructor who actually seemed genuine in helping, he did not make a peep.

"He's weird." Naruto whispered off into the silence and put his concentration back on his hands and their positions.

"That's the Uchiha in a nutshell, kid."

The food came but Naruto waited until Kakashi waved him off. He let loose the seal and watched eagerly as it cooked in the middle of the table. He had not realized it before as he concentrated on his book and what he had set in his mind to do, but he had been starving as well.

Finally when the adults began to eat so did he. Slowly he caught out of the corner of his eye Kakashi pushing more his way. He gladly accepted and smiled as he munched happily on the grilled meat. He loved when Kakashi was home or not busy. It meant actually being full and not having to cook or rummage around for something.

Surprisingly as he finished he caught the red eyed lady doing the same. He cocked his head at her for a moment and she copied Kakashi's little wave of hand that usually signaled it was alright and he smiled, muffled an 'arigato' and tore in.

"Kami, how do you keep him fed?" Kurenai muttered watching Naruto go. "You don't actually cook, I know that."

Kakashi merely shrugged. "I put it in the cupboards he takes it out. Seems to work well enough. Hokage-sama keeps an eye out for him as does Ichikaru." Asuma snorted a bit in laughter but otherwise kept his mouth shut.

"That can't be healthy." Kurenai watched Naruto even more. "Is he afraid we're going to take it from him? What?"

Kakashi shrugged and reached out a hand to ruffle the blonde hair. "I've only had him for about six months Kurenai. It's four years of being starved I would assume. They didn't even have him in the academy yet. They just kept trying to get rid of him, or as the Hokage told me after the fact."

Both Asuma and Kurenai could pick up the underlying threat. They could also feel the slight spike in killing intent as Kakashi talked. Both of them knew Kakashi's connection with the Yondaime and well aware of the connection between the boy and the late Fourth. They knew after that night Sandaime Hokage, forced out of his retirement, had tried his best to keep the teenager from getting himself killed indirectly. The Hokage at first assumed, like they all had, that heaping the well-being of the Fourth's son upon the stressed and battered teenager would have been too much.

But now, watching what little interaction they could see between the two, they clearly saw a benefit in the arrangement.

Kakashi seemed more relaxed and at ease, not like the uptight, hell-bent, workaholic that he was known for being. Hell he was out in public and looking like a normal Jounin, not in his usual ANBU getup. Despite both being older than the ANBU Captain in front of them, Kakashi had more experience under his belt than the both of them combined; which of course could not be healthy…which explained the unofficial betting pool for when Kakashi would finally snap.

In the case of the boy, the benefit was complete and utter safety. Asuma's voice had startled him at first and he had ducked behind his guardian. Though Kurenai and Asuma had seen him with Kakashi at the start, they had waited until the blonde had shown himself to bring him up. They both had seen the slight look of panic and then disgust when the waitress had approached them and seen Naruto…Kakashi had completely ignored it and had not allowed her to even get one protest out.

They continued on their small talk, ignoring the glares and silent threatening stares in their general direction. Seemingly oblivious to all of it the kid finished gorging and promptly leaned over and rested at Kakashi's side. Kakashi did not flinch or turn away; he merely kept sitting there with his arms propped up on the table as they held their conversation.

Once Naruto's eyes dropped shut and he seemed asleep, Asuma picked up where Kurenai had left off.

"You're serious about this? You're in ANBU you dobe!" he tried pointing out to what Kakashi must have forgotten. "What does he do when you're gone?"

"If I can I summon Pakkun…"

"A dog looking after a four year old kid, that's…"

"He seems to take care of himself." Kakashi cut him off. "He's been doing so well at it for the past year I can't imagine doing worse. It's only for a little while."

"I still think you're insane Kakashi." Asuma ground out and flicked out a cigarette and lit it.

With a little gleam in his eyes Kakashi merely shrugged and stood, awakening Naruto who quickly fell in line with him, bowing formally to the two they just shared dinner with.

"Well then someone should inform the winner of the betting pool."

* * *

**Author's Note x2 : **Okay yeah… so it's a little off base from Cannon…okay a lot off base. Reason? Eh I'm an Angst Junkie like the rest of em but I try not to let it get TOO out of control *tries to hide her fav. Stories screen* And when doing the scrap I kinda had just been reading Kakashi Gaiden. So two and two together equals crazy theories about the nature of their relationship. (NO not that you sickos.) I mean the father/son or brother type relationship that would have been forged. And Kakashi being a loyal *cough* dog, I couldn't figure out why Naruto hadn't met him up till he was placed on Kakashi's team. Another reason….. *holds up little Naruto* LOOKIT! It's too cute and cuddly…it's like a freaking bunny or kitten. Who can refuse the power of cute? Yeah I know that I'm being a little more liberal with people's 'dislike' of the nine-tails but eh people are 50/50 with this concept. Don't worry either….Naruto's personality is not going to change much, that's why we all love him right? I just assume as a young kid that kind of 'attention' would naturally point you more in a 'quiet and hide' mode than 'screw you I'm gonna do it anyway' mode. It'll just take a while ne? Yeah more to come as we explore just what would be different and what would be the same in this circumstance. Enjoy!


	3. Snips, Snails, and Puppy Dog Tails

**The Fox and the Hound**

Chapter 2:Snips, Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

Chapter Summary:Strange how a few years will change things? Some for the better, some for the worse. Fate and Consequence are always in play. However, confidence and safety will encourage the best and embolden the frightened. Four years have passed since Naruto found a home and a purpose…how else have things changed?

**Author Note:**bwhahahhahahahahhaahaha. I knew the power of cute would compel you all ;) jk jk jk. Thank you all for the wonderful reviews!! I return now to cute. Next chapter graduation! XD

* * *

"Oi Choji! Hand em over you hoarder!"

"No way! Get your own!"

Naruto launched himself at his heavier friend and they both hit the dirt streets rolling. The dirt flew around them, the dry October air having ripped any moisture the dirt had accumulated during the summer rains. It collected around the two warring boys and filtered up Naruto's nostrils a bit, causing him to snuff in retaliation.

Choji did not seem the slight bit affected by the dust or the dirt and kept a tight hold on his prize, a bag of chips he had hidden away for the day…knowing full well he would not be in class later on. He ignored everything as he did his best to hold off Naruto; the only other boy in their class said to have the same appetite as him.

"Will you two knock it off?!"

Choji and Naruto froze at the sound of Shikamaru, snapping in their general direction. Naruto's hands were outreached and Choji's free hand was firmly pushing Naruto away, pushing on his face. They blinked up at the dark-haired ringleader of their little cell and could see the raised eyebrow and deepening frown. Shikamaru was getting pissed at their antics.

"Are you honestly trying to get us caught?" Shikamaru sighed heavily and turned, hands thrown behind his neck and shaking his head slowly. "Both of you are troublesome you know that?"

Naruto snorted and quickly darted away from Choji, who merely protected his hoard more by wrapping his arms around the bag as he stood. Naruto stuck out his tongue at the larger boy who retaliated in kind. Both took up to following Shikamaru's meandering path through the village.

"C'mon Shikamaru, who's gonna care if we're not there today?" Naruto slung his arms up in a manner similar to Shikamaru, scratching at a spot on his neck while glancing up at the clouds above. "And if Choji would just share…."

"Troublesome…" Shikamaru huffed again. Naruto was pretty sure it was his favorite word. "I can imagine a lot of people are going to care we're not there….especially without any notice from our Clans…"

"Well that's good for me I ain't got one." Naruto smirked evilly over to the dark-haired boy now walking to his left. Choji was only slightly behind them, wary of another assault by the ravenous blonde they hung out with. "You two might be screwed though."

"Idiot…"

"Yep!" Naruto replied in happy manner. He had gotten so used to the word slung at him by his fellow classmates and some of his teachers that he had started adopting it. He enjoyed the stalled reaction as he merely smiled or puffed up proudly whenever someone called him an 'idiot' or 'dobe' and secretly he enjoyed the freedom of being able to do what he wanted without notice or concern. "All the more reason they won't miss me!"

What worry was there? The 'dobe' could not pull anything off on his own so he was not a threat.

"Troublesome idiot…" Shikamaru picked up his pace, huffing in resignation at the over-active blonde. Naruto merely smirked.

"You know I'm surprised you use that word!" he called after sulky Shikamaru. "It's so long and you gotta sound out all those syllables…."

"HA! Good one Naruto." Choji chuckled and took up the spot Shikamaru had vacated. Both of them laughed more as Shikamaru faltered in his step slightly and then sighed heavily in defeat. Naruto knew the retort was coming…he never had the last word with Shikamaru.

"I'm surprised you know what a syllable is."

And there it was. Naruto only chuckled and shrugged. All three returned to trying to draw as little attention as possible to themselves as they headed for the grassy areas of the park. The three had little on them to identify themselves as Academy students but the threat was still there. After all Choji and Shikamaru were from prominent, if not smaller, Clans and could be recognized as such. So they had to be quick about getting to their destination and hope that the instructors would merely overlook them not being there.

The three of them had met up on their way to class just a short while ago and as they stood in an odd sort of semi-circle they had come to the conclusion that it was way too nice outside to be screwing around in some boring classroom. Granted, Naruto knew this excursion merely meant Shikamaru was going to be napping in a field of grass and Choji and he were going to be bickering over food. Choji always had it on his person somewhere and he and Naruto always bickered about it. It was the best kind of day for the three of them. The only problem was they had not caught Kiba…they could have used Akamaru for sentry duty.

But then they ran the risk of having too many missing for the Instructors to overlook it. The four of them; Choji, Kiba, Naruto and Shikamaru, were easily the troublemakers of their class. Shikamaru was always sleeping or not paying attention, Choji was always distracting others with his eating, and Kiba and Naruto just liked causing trouble. Naruto more than Kiba most days, but that was because Kiba was a pansy and did not want to participate in half of Naruto's pranks.

"_I bet he found out we were going to run and chickened out." _Naruto smirked to himself thinking of the Inuzuka who always talked big but very rarely produced.

Even if they got into trouble for skipping it was well worth it to escape the classroom for a day. They had been learning about Bushin for the past week and Naruto was starting to get frustrated with the entire process. It was not like he did not understand the concept of it. It was a very simple thing…

It was just a very simple thing he was failing horribly at….

So it was he who initiated their 'let's skip' protocol by merely pointing up to the sky and the abundance of white fluffy clouds drifting along. Everyone knew Shikamaru's favorite thing to do was just to lay and watch clouds. It was a quick and quiet exchange as it always was between them.

It was still something Naruto was trying to figure out though. It was an odd thing that happened about two years prior but Choji and Shikamaru just started hanging around him. He was not exactly sure why, and he was not sure when it happened, he just suddenly realized there were others around who were talking to him. And whenever he asked the two about it Shikamaru merely shrugged it off and pointed out they usually ended up in the same place when they skipped, and Choji and Naruto were alike in eating habits. It just worked out.

Kiba was sometimes there and sometimes not. Naruto really did not care for him as they clashed worse than he and Sasuke did but Akamaru was alright. He could not speak like Pakkun could but Naruto knew he was of like intelligence and he was slightly jealous of the Inuzuka and their canine familiars.

As the three of them continued the rest of their walk in quiet silence Naruto let his attention return to everything around them. The Village seemed awfully busy for the middle of the week. People all seemed to be carrying large loads or hurrying off to somewhere important. He frowned as a gnawing sensation grew in his gut.

He was forgetting something…..

"Man I can't wait for the festival to start!" Choji began happily going on beside him.

"_Damn it!" _

"You're just waiting for the food." Shikamaru drawled on and took a quick glance down one of the main roads they were about to cross. They normally stuck the back roads to avoid too much traffic when they skipped classes. "Such a trouble."

"_I forgot about the Fire Festival! Damn it!" _Naruto knew his step faltered a bit but he quickly tried to cover it up as a stumble on a stone but it appeared that Shikamaru and Choji were more interested in the goings on around them. That was fine with Naruto; he was too busy trying to pull the dark gray fabric of his coat around his deep orange shirt he was wearing that day. "_Sure Naruto go with a bright color in October! What the hell was I thinking?" _

He liked the color and the way it clashed with the dark gray jacket he wore. Sure it was a color he favored but he also knew the ability to hide while wearing said color was slim to none. He merely did it to annoy the hell out of his instructors and it was a contest of wills with Kakashi. He had proudly boasted that it should not matter what he wore he should be able to use his ninja skills to hide regardless. Granted he had yet to pull that off but he was going to one of these days and then Kakashi had no room to talk.

But now, the gnawing in his gut had intensified ten-fold and he knew it was because of what Choji had inadvertently reminded him of. For whatever reason, the dislike of his person seemed to shoot up around this month, and always seemed at its peak around this particular week. And he was now parading around in a bright 'catch me' color.

It was also his birthday in a couple of days and he **hated **his birthday.

He pretended though not to care about anything and went back to his goofy grin and laid back demeanor. It did him no good to freak out around Choji and Shikamaru. They arrived at their favorite spot on a hill set back in the park. Shikamaru promptly flopped himself into the grass and stared up at the white fluffy clouds above while Choji and Naruto took a seat above his head. Choji did like Shikamaru and stared upwards but Naruto's gaze remained riveted below.

The Fire Festival was held in October, it had been that way well before any of them had been born. But in recent years the date had been moved to correspond with the Yondaime Hokage's defeat of the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon. It was a week-long even regardless but the start date had been changed to October Tenth. Of all the days, Naruto could remember thinking on more than one occasion; a demon had to attack the village that was the day it chose. He also remembered thinking more than once that it was a bit unfair but he had learned a good time ago to just lie low during the month of October and left it at that.

It was an awful month anyway.

"What's your favorite thing to do at the Festival Naruto?" Choji was glancing over at him, stuffing his face with more of his _precious chips_.

"Eh, I don't like going."

"Really?" Choji cocked his head to the side in confusion.

"Nah…." Naruto tried to shrug it off. In all honesty he had never been. When he was younger he just kind of watched it from the windows of the apartment and had been content with that. He was still frightened then of being out in public alone. As he had gotten out of that phase he had attempted once when he was six to go after hearing all the other kids talking about it but had been quickly deterred by a couple of the locals who had seen him heading that direction.

"That's odd…seems like your kind of thing." Shikamaru added in with his eyes closed.

"Yeah well it's not." Naruto huffed back and promptly flopped back into the grass to do as Shikamaru was doing, cloud watch. When he had first accompanied Choji and Shikamaru for this particular ritual he had been confused by it. Now he could see the draw in it. After a while his mind finally drifted from the worry and the confusion to just detailing each and every cloud and wishing he could touch them to see if they were all fluff and puff.

It was a good couple of peaceful hours. Naruto finally drifted off for a nap, clouds were boring as it was and you could only watch them for so long before it happened…at least for him. He could hear that Choji and Shikamaru were having a silent conversation, something about their Clans and an upcoming thing, but he did not really care. Choji and Shikamaru's dad's knew each other well. They also knew Yamanaka Ino's father but that girl was so insane in the head about Sasuke (most of the girls in their class suddenly had become that way) that they did not bother to talk to her that much.

Okay maybe he cared just a little. Clans always fascinated him and he was curious as to how that all worked out. To have a family large enough to be a Clan had to be a joy. Brothers and Sisters, Aunts and Uncles….Fathers and Mothers…it was something he really was enamored with. He never really told anyone that but he was glad for at least a little insight into that world. Choji and Shikamaru had given him that much without really knowing it. He always listened intently whenever they talked about 'family things' even though it appeared he was ignoring or daydreaming.

He dreamed of a family once. Sure he had Kakashi but he knew well enough that Kakashi and he were not related in any way. For starters was they looked like complete polar opposites and most of the time acted opposite also. Kakashi's family name was Hatake and Naruto's was Uzumaki. Both of which he had a great deal of trouble finding any information on despite his numerous late night trips to the libraries and record rooms.

Again no one knew about that.

But then again what was a name? They were not blood related but they were close enough. Kakashi had always kept an eye out on him, made sure he had things and hell even treated him sometimes to Ramen even though he sometimes chided Naruto on his nutritional choices. So he had decided just to give up, something he did not do lightly. Sure he knew he had to come from somewhere but finding said information about either of his parents had been daunting. Apparently he was not from some Clan that had gotten wiped out and his family must have just been a normal civilian family because he was out of ideas of where to look.

In a way realizing that had made him somewhat proud. It was rare for anyone from a civilian family to try to be a ninja, mostly because there was not enough experience for the person to draw on and they lagged behind because of it. Haruno Sakura did not seem to let it bother her much and Naruto decided not to let it deter him either. He had already decided to strive for excellence anyway because of Kakashi. The Jounin he stayed with was actually quite a big deal around Konoha, as Naruto had come to see.

People treaded lightly around him sometimes and others he had seen them point and talk. Girls, he noticed, had this reaction more than anyone else. Kakashi had graduated young and obtained Jounin in a relatively short amount of time, and Naruto would admit only to himself that Kakashi was pretty smart. So Naruto had to make his 'brother' proud of him, as well as the Hokage and Iruka. He was also hoping that if he began making a name for himself maybe the civilians would stop being so hateful towards him as well.

Still he had come to a crossroads on that particular thought too. Naruto had found his newfound intelligence had not endeared him to any of his instructors besides Iruka and it actually had brought a few more glares and names. So he had quickly back peddled and covered it up. It was a fluke! He was not really smart he was just pretending to be.

Which was actually the opposite but he could not risk it anymore. He hated how he was treated but it seemed either way he went he was screwed. It was easier to play the idiot than it was to be smart and learn. Shadows could be your friend, as he had come to find.

That was why he liked hanging out with Shikamaru and Choji. They never really pointed out his faults or his shortcomings and when he slipped up and acted like he actually knew something they did not say anything about it. They just accepted he was odd and left it at that.

A rough feeling tongue came scraping across his cheek and Naruto started awake. At his side a white puppy sat wagging its tail happily at him.

"Akamaru..." he muttered and reached up to scratch the ninja dog on his ears. The puppy barked and wagged his tail more and thumped his leg as a sign he liked what Naruto was doing.

"Jees you guys you could tell me you're ditching you know."

"Kiba what the hell?" Shikamaru was sitting up and glaring daggers at the Inuzuka Clan boy. Naruto started growling up at him as well. This was trouble….big trouble.

"ME? What the hell!" Kiba snarled back. "I find myself the lone wolf in the pack today and you guys are out here enjoying a little sun. "

"And I thought Naruto was the idiot." Shikamaru stood and brushed himself off. "They know something's up now. What is it lunch break and you decided to sneak off to find us?"

"Hai, that's right." Kiba crossed his arms in front of him and frowned. "So what, we've all snuck out at lunch before…"

"Yeah but staggered. You just left and we never showed up, THEY KNOW something's up now."

"Yeah Dog-breath, you just screwed us over." Naruto snarled in response seeing Shikamaru was correct.

"Who you calling dog-breath?" Kiba was down in his face baring the somewhat longer canines that matched his red lines on his face. Naruto merely snarled back in response. He was not afraid of Kiba, not in the least.

"Last I checked you were the only one with dog-breath so it must be you."

"Why I Oughta…" Kiba lunged at him and Naruto braced as they hit the ground. He recovered quickly enough and used his feet and their momentum to launch Kiba over him and down the hill. The Dog-Boy hit the ground and came up snarling at him. Great now they were going to fight…things were going so well before Kiba had shown up.

He darted when Kiba lunged at him again. He forgot about Akamaru though and found the white dog atop his head, pawing at him mercilessly and growling just as ferociously as Kiba was. Naruto really could not dislike the white dog for his protection. It was, after all, the greatest thing about dogs…they were loyal to their masters. They protected their masters.

He reached up and grabbed the pup by the scruff and quickly used him as a shield when Kiba came at him again. Kiba blinked then backed off.

"That's low Uzumaki! Using Akamaru like that."

"Hey I was just trying to get him off my head!" Naruto frowned. "Anyway it worked didn't it?"

Kiba merely snarled as Naruto let Akamaru down. Shikamaru put himself between them to stop any further fighting.

"This doesn't help us guys."

"You're always over-thinking things Shikamaru." Kiba snuffed as he picked up Akamaru and inspected him for any injury…like Naruto would ever hurt the dog…he smirked a bit when Shikamaru raised his eyebrow at his insult.

"Probably because none of you seem to think for yourselves." Shikamaru ground out and began to pace a bit. "So how long till they find us?"

"Depends on if they noticed the puppy leaving." Naruto shrugged and rubbed at his neck. He knew he had just slipped but knew Shikamaru would actually like having someone else with a valid input.

"HEY! What's that supposed to…"

"He means they could have followed you here you dolt." Shikamaru cut off the angry retort. "Just great…"

Before they could formulate a good enough response to anything a gray-haired Chuunin cut off their escape route, smirking evilly as he did.

"_Great it had to be Mizuki-sensei." _Naruto frowned as the Chuunin strolled up to them, hands in his pockets.

"You four really have to work on your abilities before you can fool us." Mizuki took a glance over at Kiba. "Though I should applaud how fast you realized a threat Shikamaru."

The four instinctively lined up with one another. They were used to the routine by now and had been in the same formation enough times that it was just instinct.

"So who was the ringleader this time?" Mizuki asked as he paced in front of them. For a while no one said or did anything. It was only a matter of time though before Kiba finally raised his pointed finger to Naruto…merely to get back at him for his trick with Akamaru. Naruto snarled at him involuntarily but then found that Choji also was pointing him out.

"Thanks Choji." Naruto muttered over at the boy.

"Shoulda known." Mizuki growled as he regarded them. "Alright you four back we go…and all of you are staying after for detention. You especially…"

Naruto frowned as they lined up to follow Mizuki back to the Academy grounds. He knew what that meant and knew Mizuki was secretly smiling about being able to bust him. This was turning out to be a disaster of a day.

When they finally arrived back at the Academy almost everyone watched them enter. Each of their classmates had these glares on their faces as they did. Naruto did not shrink but the rest of the 'gang' did. Bets were they just screwed everyone over with their ditching and they were certainly not going to hear the end of it.

The only thing that fazed Naruto in the slightest was the disapproving look from Iruka. As they took to their seats Naruto again snarled in Kiba's direction.

"Way to go dog-breath…"

"Uzumaki!"

Naruto flinched and ducked his head. Last name used…that was bad.

"Now that we're all present." Iruka went on and all four perpetrators shared a look with one another from across their aisles. "We can start with today's test."

Naruto cocked his head to the side in confusion. Test? They usually were warned about these tests so they could study. A couple of the other instructors were present and handing out papers. He watched as the thick collection of paper was literally dropped in front of him. A quick glance through the top page revealed stuff he knew they did not even cover that year. Things like basic forms, taijutsu styles, and other various ninja skills. What kind of test was this?

"You will be given 2 hours for this portion of the Exam. We will then move to Illusions and a small contest if you will." Iruka continued on. He then held up a headband to them. "Do well enough and you may earn one of these."

Everyone in the room went dead silent at Iruka's last words. They all became transfixed on the leaf symbol on the headband. It was what they were all working towards was it not? The silence remained for only a few more seconds before the sound of paper rustling and pencils scraping the surface filled the room. Each one of them realized they were wasting their time staring at the headband when the test was already started.

Naruto himself began flipping through the pages, answering the questions he knew the answers to easily. He left the harder ones, the ones that required more thought so he could spend more time on them after the easy questions were finished.

Something still bothered him about the layout of the day. Why did they let them stay away for so long? If this was their plan all along why not find them without Kiba? This was, at least it was being presented as, the Genin exam. That did not seem right either…they all were around eight years old. They did not give it that soon did they? Wait that was right Kakashi had graduated young….hell he remembered something about an Uchiha graduating at seven…even though there were none of them left save for Sasuke.

Naruto shook his head harshly and put his mind back on the questions he was reading. To hell with doubt and second guessing, he had a test to pass.

* * *

Kakashi stared at his front door, arms crossed and eye focused entirely on the doorknob. If anyone were to happen upon him they would surely assume he was completely addled in the brain and call medics. He was staring at a door…his OWN door.

"_There's got to be evidence right?" _He thought darkly inspecting each section of the door looking for any sign that someone had tampered with the hinges, the knob itself or any other part of the simple wooden door that led to his apartment. His nice comfortable apartment that he should be enjoying after being let loose early but instead here he stood.

"_For Kami's sake I'm ANBU and I'm worried about what he did to a door…." _Kakashi berated himself. _"Anyways…he's used to me going through the window…if he did something that's where it is." _

"_Or inside the apartment itself….."  
"I swear if he touched my books again I'm wringing his neck." _

Kakashi finally growled, reached out and forced the door open. He waited a few minutes inside the door and found his door still upright, he was not covered in anything, and it was quiet inside the home. He let out a little sigh moved about his business taking off his gear and finding a good spot to read in. It was a sad fact that he, of all people, was afraid to enter his own apartment.

No….afraid was the wrong word. Apprehensive fit the situation much better.

It started easily enough, though Kakashi was still not sure why it had occurred to the kid to take the pins out of the door hinges but he had and when he returned home that night he found himself literally holding up his own door. From that day forward the pranks had just escalated and moved on to different targets.

There was the creative rearranging of his precious books and he was pretty damn sure the kid was going through things he was not supposed to be touching. Naruto was creative and destructive with his newfound confidence and it was staring to wear just a bit thin. The kid had too much idle energy and despite the fact he should be wasting it all at school he came home with just too much.

Still there were times when he heard of Naruto's 'other' targets that he had to give the kid some credit. Anyone that could replace all of Asuma's cigarettes with candy sticks and not have the Jounin notice till he tried to light one deserved some praise. That took skill, patience, and a creative spark that a lot of the kids in this batch lacked.

Course maybe Kakashi should not have pointed out where his fellow Jounin lived…

Kakashi finally released the light gray armor and went back to his kitchen, reaching for some fruit still out on the counter in a bowl. Kami knew when that showed up but it had and still looked edible. He had not found evidence that Naruto had even been back to the apartment since early that morning. That had to mean the apartment was safe. Usually Naruto only came up with the elaborate pranks when he had too much time to himself.

"_Course that means the prank happened at school and he got caught." _Kakashi sighed heavily and took a bite of the fruit, taking down his mask and taking a quiet moment to observe everything around him.

For the most part everything was in its place and things were neat and orderly. Surprising knowing that behind one of the doors it was like a hurricane hit. Still as he always told Naruto that was his space he could do as he wanted. Just as long as it did not affect him he was fine with it. A year or so ago he kind of wished he had amended that rule.

Kakashi was about to take another bite of his procured snack and head for the living room with one of the new books Jiraiya had sent him when the door came flying open, the after mentioned blonde came storming past and did not seem to recognize Kakashi was even there.

"Stupid test….stupid Kiba….stupid Sasuke…." He was snarling rather devilishly as he slammed the door behind him and stalked past the kitchen to his room, throwing the door open to give a small glimpse to the havoc behind the door. Scrolls and books littered the floor and any surface save for the bed and the windowsill which was full of little plants.

Kakashi watched a little shocked by the sudden appearance but then shrugged, put his mask back in place, sat the apple aside and was content to let the kid mope. Whatever had gotten him caught must have been good because he was about two hours late and he was in a spectacular mood.

It was mere minutes later when Naruto reappeared, pulling on his jacket over now black shirt, different from his previous orange, and dragging a bag behind him full of some of his scrolls and assorted other items like kunai and shuriken.

Kakashi did the responsible thing and cut Naruto off at the pass before he could even reach the door.

"Okay weaponry is involved, I gotta ask." Kakashi pointed behind the blonde when Naruto's deep blue eyes glared up at him with a pretty good dose of seething. Kakashi was preventing him from whatever he had put to his mind to and he hated when people kept him from things. "Spill it."

"Oh come on Nii-san. Move it." Naruto threw up his hands in frustration, letting his bag drop to the ground. "I gotta get out somewhere and start practicing. Not to mention to dodge the lovely week it is about to be."

"_Ohhhhh….that's it" _

"Why the sudden fascination with practicing with kunai and shuriken? You were always more fond of Ninjutsu." Kakashi did his best to distract the kid. Whenever Naruto got worked up he would do crazy things. Sometimes he could head them off before they became a reason to have a talk with the Hokage but there were a few incidents that involved a hospital because the kid tried something he had found …accidentally as Kakashi pointed out…in their apartment.

"Cause I sucked it up real good on the exam today, and of course I failed Bushin again and everyone's pretty sure I'm retarded or something." Naruto began rattling and began digging through the cloth bag he kept for his pranking materials. Kakashi should be somewhat relieved that was not what was occupying the bag but somehow it did not ease his mind any. "And that stuck up Uchiha thinks he's superior to everyone else…"

"Pretty sure you said something about Kiba to."

"GRRR Kiba!" Naruto snarled and rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Stupid mutt got us caught."

"Doing what might I ask???"

"Skipp…crud." Naruto deflated a little and took a glance at him. "Look we did not know it was going to be the Genin exam today…"

Kakashi snorted a bit and shook his head. So it was not a prank that had gotten Naruto in trouble he had been skipping with Kakashi could guess Nara and Akimichi. "Can't imagine why they wouldn't miss three of you. You three should know better by now. Anyway, they couldn't possibly have given you the Genin exam, you're too young."

"Yes they did. Iruka-sensei held up a headband and said if we did well enough we might get one of those. What else could it have been?" Naruto scrunched up his face and cocked his head at one side. "There were some wicked hard questions on there that I don't think any of us have even covered yet."

"I worded that wrong." Kakashi reached up and rubbed at the bridge of his nose. Was this not supposed to be the start of a weekend for him? "It probably was the exam. They just did not expect any of you to pass it."

"Then why did they give it?"

"It's a proficiency test of sorts. To see where everyone is skill wise."

"There have been people who graduated young." Naruto pointed and Kakashi could guess he was referring to Kakashi himself.

"There are some exceptions to that standard of course."

"All the more reason to start practicing." Naruto snuffed and picked back up where he was only to meet with his forehead in Kakashi's outstretched hand. He growled a little, as he did sometimes when he was really frustrated but Kakashi stood firm and he soon found himself in a staring contest with a blue eyed imp.

After a good five minutes he started to see that Naruto was indeed calming a bit so he released him but still stood in his way to the door.

"Alright, how about a compromise? I'll take you somewhere to practice since that's what you've got set in your mind to do. But you gotta calm down before we get there. Emotions are detrimental to a ninja when he is on a mission. It makes you make mistakes and overlook things. And only for a couple hours. I am NOT explaining to Hokage-sama how you ended up hurting yourself again with another one of your wild training regimens."

"Fine." Naruto crossed his arms in a semi-pout but he did seem acceptable to the idea. Kakashi sighed heavily and turned on his heel to go back out the door he was sure he only came in ten minutes prior.

Naruto got out in front of him as they hit the streets. His head was up, his shoulders were set and for the most part he forged ahead like he knew where they were headed. It was a far cry from the small boy that used to be Kakashi's shadow glancing around nervously for the hidden dangers he knew resided in the shadows.

"Turn right." Kakashi motioned when Naruto, predictably started heading for the academy training grounds. Naruto blinked back at him for a moment but did as he was told. His pace slowed slightly as he let Kakashi catch up and regain a little of the lead so he could better guide where they were going.

When they got to the gated areas of the training grounds Kakashi entered it like he did all the others, like he owned it and waited patiently for Naruto to do the same. Naruto stood on the other side blinking up at it unexpectedly then to him.

"Um, Kakashi I'm pretty sure we're not supposed to go in there."

It was true that it was a rule that students should not enter the training grounds. It was done mainly to protect them because who was to say some Jounin was not currently using the area. Students had special areas near the Academy set up for that use. But he also knew if with a proper guardian they could enter. Not every Clan had sprawling estates and whole sections of the Village to themselves like the Uchiha and the Hyuuga did.

"When has that every really stopped you?" Kakashi asked back over his shoulder as he turning and began heading further in. He at least pocketed his book before they left the apartment. If Naruto decided this was a risk not worth taking he could find a nice shady tree to read under for a few hours. That was his plan either way actually.

Kakashi heard the familiar 'clink' of the metal fencing as Naruto came up and over. He landed lightly on the other side and looked up at Kakashi expectantly. Kakashi merely continued on his path and let the kid follow.

Once Kakashi found the place he had in mind he positioned himself at a tree and pulled out his book. Naruto merely stood by and glanced around him in silent awe. This was a different environment for the kid. The training grounds near the Academy were more structured and walled in. There were set limits to them and specific uses. This, however, was complete open ground with trees and various other terrains. To a kid it would seem limitless, as they had left the gate perimeter quite a while ago.

It only took Naruto a few moments to realize just what Kakashi was allowing him to have. And with a slight throw of his bag towards Kakashi he was gone. He just shot off to explore and do whatever he was fixing in his mind to do with his 'practicing'.

Kakashi relaxed and enjoyed the weather and the second book in Jiraiya-sama's series. Honestly, the Sannin was one of the most feared people in the ninja world but he spent his time writing books. Very good books yes, but books nonetheless.

"_Really should thank him for keeping me in mind…."_ Kakashi smirked happily getting back to the passage that he had left last night.

Every so often the kid would drop nearby, scavenge through his bag and then dart off again. He had this wicked grin on his face and Kakashi would merely eye him when he was in range then return to reading. Naruto would ask for his help when he finally wanted it and Kakashi was okay with that arrangement.

Or he thought he was because after a good hour or so he found himself stealthily taking to the trees and searching out what it was the boy was actually doing.

There in a thick set of trees was Naruto, doing what he said he was going to do in an off sort of way. He had used something to make mini targets on each one of the trees in front of him; apparently he had left enough of his pranking supplies in the bag to make them. Each target had kunai expertly stuck in and around the centers of the self-made targets. Naruto also had a few dozen scrolls out around him and seemed as if he was practicing a set thing.

Kakashi grinned a bit and took one of his own kunai and casually threw it, aimed half-heartedly for the boy's ankle. As predicted Naruto dodged, but as he did a kunai came flying at him. He leaped a few times and tried again and each time Naruto was dodging as he should and retaliated in kind.

One particularly good throw nearly scrapped Kakashi's shoulder and he smirked a bit. He had been too lax in testing and had nearly given Naruto a win. Kakashi was confused as to why Naruto believed he 'sucked up' that portion of the exam but apparently the blonde wanted something more out of his performance.

"_Or he just flat out faked it all." _Kakashi frowned.

Naruto was by no means stupid. But almost everyone in his class, save for the few exceptions, called him such. Kakashi had noticed it as well. In most instances Naruto played the part of a goofy, overactive, hyper kid. Back at home, however, Kakashi knew differently. Naruto studied a lot. He would hole himself up for hours if left unchecked. He would go out and experiment on his own, sometimes late, and come back looking either utterly defeated or absolutely proud of himself.

Naruto knew more than he let on he did and Kakashi sometimes found himself to wonder why. Of course he could figure out it was a coping mechanism. There were still those who would, given the chance, do harm to the boy. And as a young boy Naruto had done everything he could to keep himself off of their radars. Naruto had been quiet and subdued. Now he realized he liked talking and having those bonds with others but displaying any amount of skill usually got him reprimanded.

It had to be confusing.

Still he was unsure how to deter the double life the boy was making for himself. He had told him numerous times just not to care what others said or did. It still happened. Maybe he believed it was too far past time to stop the charade and kept up with what was normal now. It was so hard to drop a mask once you got a hold on it…..

"Oi Nii-san you finished with that book already?" Naruto called up at him after a few minutes, smirking wildly as he did.

Kakashi dropped from his position and ambled up to the mini-maelstrom around the boy. One thing was certain he was not stupid but he had an interesting way of going about things. It never was an exact straight line for Naruto; he would be on one task and that task would suddenly trigger a realization. Distraction seemed to best work with him.

"No but remember I told you only for a while?"

"It's only been an hour Nii-san, I'm not tired yet." Naruto flashed his big grin and moved to retrieve his kunai to throw again. No he would not be tired yet. That was not Kakashi's implication. He began to slowly piece all the clues together; all the pranking, all the experimenting, all the idle energy that was driving Kakashi nuts when he was in a confined space with Naruto… Naruto more than likely had a much larger pool of chakra to throw around.

Not all together surprising and not because of the fox. The Yondaime Hokage was well known for two very distinctive jutsu and both of which, depending on the range, were chakra intensive.

"Hai I know that." Kakashi straightened and tugged out a little scroll from one of his flak jacket pockets. It was another thing he had been pondering at length. He had been thinking of retiring as ANBU. Which would mean returning to Jounin status and taking up just normal missions as dished out by the Hokage. It opened up the possibility also of being gone for long tracks of time. Some of the missions that came through the Leaf village were pretty length ones.

"I just thought you might want to try something new."

As always Naruto's eyes focused in like a hawk. He always wanted a challenge and giving him something new might be worth the headache it could be later. He was holding on to it till Naruto's birthday but he supposed that was in a few days anyway.

This was his and Pakkun's solution. Hopefully it worked.

* * *

"_Dog, Monkey, Bird, Sheep…." _

Naruto's hands fumbled through the seals unsteadily. He honestly was not even sure he was doing it right but he was out of options at this point. The angry voices of the drunks who had decided to take up chasing him echoed through the empty alleys. Naruto was currently hiding behind a small lip created by two meeting buildings and was trying desperately to get the jutsu to work.

Damn his pride and courage. Damn this always happening on the tenth. For as long as he could remember people were always mean to him and on some occasions wanted to hurt him but it seemed particularly bad on this day of days. If only he had done like all the other festivals and his birthday he would not be in this predicament right now. Damn Choji and Shikamaru for actually asking if he was going to show up. He accidently had told them he might and he would see them there. Now he had to go to the festival, it would just look weird if he did not.

Naruto cursed at his hands, trembling and bleeding from a gash further up on his arm. _Dog, Monkey, Bird, Sheep. _It was not all together a hard concept but apparently it was because it was not working as intended.

"Hey I think I saw him down here!" someone yelled in very close proximity to where he was and Naruto fought hard to not just dart away again. He should not even be fiddling with something he had not even perfected or even gotten right yet. Stick to what works, dodging and running. But now he was back in a corner and panic caused him to stay on course with his chosen action.

"_Dog, Monkey, Bird, Sheep! Work damn it! Work!"_

When he slammed his palm to the ground this time a puff sounded in his ears. He closed his eyes and prayed it was Pakkun. The pug would know exactly what to do or where to run. Naruto assumed that Kakashi had taught him the seals for the Summoning Jutsu so he **could** summon Pakkun.

When he let up and stood back he was surprised to find a larger dog sitting there in front of him. It had a brown body with a black back and pointed ears. The dog whined a little and nudged his hand while they stared at one another. Naruto laid his hand on the dog's head uncertainly and the dog barked happily.

"Well at least it worked." Naruto mumbled mostly to himself.

"Down this way!" a man's voice drew Naruto's attention back to the crises as hand and he made his way to the street. Just as he got out of his hiding spot someone came at him from the side and took a good swing at his head. Naruto ducked that one but another of the man's companions was nearby and came at him from behind.

Naruto felt the strike and hit the ground. His vision blurred a little and he cursed at himself. He had been too slow to respond to a threat and now he was in for it. No wonder Mizuki-sensei had praised Shikamaru for realizing something so fast…wait too long and you were screwed. Another hand reached down and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and yanked him up harshly and threw him into the wall of the alley. He cursed as his head hit the hard brick surface and fought hard to keep his vision clear enough.

"_Damn it, move! Do something! ANYTHING…" _Naruto berated himself but found himself paralyzed by one lone statement that he heard from day one at the Academy. Do not harm civilians. In no circumstances would it be okay to harm civilians. And so he froze like a timid creature, unsure what to do. They were drunk, he could smell it on them rather harshly, and they were violent….but they were still civilians.

Suddenly the man who had him held up by his shirt let him go and he hit the ground. Naruto curled up and held his head, feeling a slight bit of stickiness when his hand hit the spot that hurt the most. Instead of feeling any more attacks he heard snarling, a deep growling full of threat. He looked up, fighting off the dizziness that just would not clear, and saw the dog he had summoned moments ago standing between him and the men. It stood rigid and it was baring its teeth; his hair was standing on end and he looked like a rabid animal.

"Oh? A new trick of yours?" the man who had knocked Naruto to the ground initials muttered. "We're not afraid of some mutt."

A hand reached out to snag at the dog's scruff and it yelped a bit but dodged the man and lunged for the group. The men scattered a bit, surprised by the sudden attack by the animal. The surprised was soon turned to anger and their focus turned on the dog. Naruto curled back up and tried to keep his head still.

Kami, Kakashi was going to be so pissed about this.

Naruto tried to drown out the yells and the commotion caused by the fight. After a while they began to die down. His head was throbbing more and more and he cursed under his breath. When things were finally all silent again he pulled his hand away and saw the bit of blood covering his right hand. Apparently the man had thrown him hard enough against the wall to cause damage.

A low whine caused Naruto to start and he involuntarily jumped a little. There in front of him sat the black and tan dog, a little worse for wear, but still there. The dog whined again and put his nose to Naruto's nose and the two stared at each other for a long time.

"You're not Pakkun." Naruto finally managed to say, wincing as he tried to keep the dog in focus. He reached out though and scratched between the pointed ears. "I don't think I've ever seen you with Kakashi's dogs before."

The eight year old started when a bright red tongue snuck out of the black muzzle and licked his face. The dog whimpered and rubbed his head against Naruto's neck and licked him again.

"It's okay boy." Naruto whispered and continued to pet the dog. "I heal up pretty quick. I was just hoping to get Pakkun so I could find Kakashi or Oji-san." The dog merely cocked its head at Naruto. His straight ears flopped to the side his head went giving him an almost comical look. "Do you know Kakashi-san?"

The dog shook his head no and lay with his head in Naruto's lap. Naruto was utterly confused now. Kakashi had taught him how to summon his nin-dogs…so that if Kakashi was on a mission Pakkun or the others could keep him company or protect him. But this dog was not one of Kakashi's, Naruto was sure of that now.

Naruto stood slowly; the dog did so beside him, whining as Naruto reached out to steady himself against the walls. He could not shake the dizziness or the pounding in his head and he cursed mentally for allowing himself to get caught. He should have just stayed home. "Well I guess I better come up with a name for you. I can't just keep calling you 'dog'."

As he limped to the edge of the alley he had been in he could see little spatters of blood on the street. He wondered if it was his or his newfound companion's….or even worse, his attacker's. He peered out of the alley cautiously to see if anyone was waiting this time and he saw only dimly lit streets and dark houses.

That was good. Most people were now at the festival and would be properly distracted. Now he just had to find his way home, which at this moment he was finding difficult to concentrate on. He took a couple more glances then ventured out, moving slowly to minimize the pounding in his head. His dog barked, startling him a bit. It was a deep sound, almost threatening but Naruto could tell it was merely trying to communicate with him.

Naruto smiled a little, remembering how the dog flung himself at the crowd of men, ready to defend Naruto against them. He patted the large head that came up to nearly his mid-waist. "How about Ririshii? I'll call you Riri for short?"

He felt the tail of the dog hit the back of his legs and the happy panting at his side. Naruto grinned and they both limped out into the street. "Okay Riri, nice to meet you, I'm Naruto."

The dog barked again in response. Naruto thought Riri sounded happy and he was happy too. At least he had pulled of the Summoning; he just did it in a way he did not think Kakashi was thinking. They walked along slowly, the dog keeping itself right up against Naruto allowing the boy to reach out when needed to steady himself.

Naruto stopped at a bench near a store that looked like it was closed. He cursed and ran his hands through his hair and rubbed at his temples. Damn that man had hit him hard and followed up with the slam against the wall his head was very angry. He had hoped once he gotten upright and moving the pain would lessen but it only got worse and he was feeling a bit drowsy now that he had stopped again.

And though he was sure he was on the right path to home he still felt doubt about it. He was confused about it but as he looked up at street signs he was reminded that he was indeed on the right track. Why it still bothered him remained a mystery. Maybe he should just stay there on the bench. Eventually someone would come looking for him right? Kakashi usually got to worried he was starting trouble if he was gone too long and he'd come looking….

Riri's loud bark startled him back up. He had not realized his eyes had drooped closed but they had. Riri had grabbed hold of his jacket sleeve with his teeth and was tugging gently on his arm. He whined and pulled until Naruto stood again and shook his head.

"Yeah you're right Riri. Knowing my luck someone else would find me, not nii-san." He muttered darkly and took back up to walking home.

As they finally reached the apartment he stayed in with the older Jounin, Naruto fumbled with his keys. Damn which one of these was it again? Should not be this hard…he had two…one for the door and one for the little lockbox of stuff he kept in his room for his 'research'. Maybe he should get rid of the one for the lockbox. He had given up finding anything in that respect anyway had he not?

Before he could grasp the right key the door came open. Naruto froze and his hand instinctively grabbed the thick scruff of Ririshii. The dog began growling again and positioned himself so that most of his body was in front of Naruto. For a few agonizing moments he thought that they had found out where he lived and had just waited for him to come home to finish what they had started. Naruto relaxed immediately though when he realized it was just Kakashi standing there.

"What have you been…." Kakashi was staring to say to Naruto when he had opened the door. The silver-haired man had stopped though once he had gotten a good look at him. "What happened?"

Naruto sighed and released Ririshii. He walked in past Kakashi with Riri right at his heels. He really was starting to feel shitty so he began to head for the bathroom. He knew where everything was by now and needed some aspirin and maybe some bandages.

"Come here, Naruto." Kakashi ordered. The older man had followed him up to this point to the kitchen. He must have seen the back of his head, which Naruto was sure looked worse than it was. Head wounds always were bleeders, even with just a little scratch.

He flashed a grin at his brother in an effort to reassure him. "It's okay nii-san."

"No it's not, come here." The older man snagged him by the sleeve of his coat and pulled him closer. He gently forced Naruto's chin down to his chest and he felt the Jounin's fingers gently brushing back his hair to look at what had caused the bleeding. "Look at me." Naruto complied with the order this time and found the one gray eye looking intently at his eyes, which was a little confusing. "It's a wonder you're not unconscious…" Kakashi was muttering as he went back to looking at his head.

"Oi, that hurts." Naruto fidgeted and tried pulling away but found himself tightly held. "I think I mighta blacked out a bit but its okay Riri stayed with me."

Kakashi's one eye traveled down to the black and tan dog sitting at Naruto's feet. It was a beautiful German shepherd, if not a little roughed up itself. It was, however, a dog he had never seen before.

"Riri huh?" Kakashi said as he released Naruto and pointed at a chair. He started for the bathroom this time to get the things Naruto was probably going to get for himself but he found it easier to just comply with the older man than to fight him. He was dizzy anyway. "Just where did Riri come from?"

"I was trying to summon Pakkun." Naruto answered when Kakashi returned. The boy was sitting at the counter looking sheepish. "I got Ririshii instead."

Kakashi blinked at him and his eyes traveled between the German shepherd and the boy. He had just taught Naruto the hand seals for the summoning a few days ago, had he really grasped it that quickly? Even more, Pakkun was the only one that had agreed to sign a contract with the boy; the theory was if he did the jutsu only the little pug would answer him.

Instead he had summoned one of his own dogs.

"Ririshii is his full name I take it." Kakashi tried to shake it off. He would have time to test the boy later to see if he could do it a second time when he was not under attack. He took to cleaning the cut on the back of the boy's head and bandaging it to stop what little blood still seeping from the open part of the gash.

"That's what I named him." Naruto hissed when he applied pressure to the back of his head.

"Pakkun will be jealous." Kakashi smirked a bit. He placed the things away and began assessing anything else he could find wrong with the kid besides the obvious concussion. "Why didn't you run?"

"Cause there were a lot of them…they kept ambushing me. For drunks they were awfully perceptive…" Naruto muttered and looked away. "I know…I'm a horrible ninja…but…"

"Well if that were the case I don't think Riri would be here right now, do you?" Kakashi crouched down and looked the animal over. He too looked like he had been on the losing end of a fight. The shepherd licked his hand and nudged it as if inviting him to pet him.

"Well I guess not…."

"And you would be higher at the Academy if you would stop being the class clown and skipping all the time wouldn't you?" Kakashi continued on and stood again to stare at the kid. "I know why you do it Naruto, but it obviously doesn't help matters does it?"

"No…" Naruto frowned and again ducked his gaze away to focus on the dog sitting right up against his legs. The dog was being very attentive to the boy and his state, despite looking haggard itself.

For a moment things were silent. Kakashi watched as Naruto blinked and tried to clear his vision, again another point in the 'he has a concussion' column.

"Ugh I'm getting some aspirin and going to bed…" Naruto said as he stood to go about his plan. Kakashi quickly reached out and stopped him.

"Oh no you don't." Kakashi pushed him towards the living room and ignored the fairly nasty snarl directed at him when he did. He knew better. Aspirin was bad for people with concussions just on the principle if it was bad enough it would trigger more bleeding. He did not think the kid had that bad of one, he said he was only out for a couple of seconds and though he seemed to have trouble with his balance, his speech was clear and he was able to carry on a conversation well enough with Kakashi.

"But…"

"I think you have a concussion. No aspirin and no sleep not just yet. Unless you want to go to the hospital to make sure, then you can have both."

Naruto frowned and sat sulking on the couch. Kakashi had known using the "h" word would make the kid comply. Naruto hated that place. Not that Kakashi could blame him much, so did he. Uptight nurses who thought they knew how you felt….regardless he sat down nearby and took back up to reading but also keeping an eye out on the eight year old. Riri came in and lay at the foot of the couch, his large head landing with a quiet thump when he did. Kakashi still could not figure how the dog was here but he could always worry about it later. The Jutsu had worked as intended…just with a different result.

He heard the quiet mutterings and saw the kid subconsciously clutching at his head. Oh sure, Kakashi knew it probably hurt like hell, he had on more than one occasion suffered through the same thing. So he quietly reached over and placed his one arm around the kid's shoulder and just let it rest there, quietly rubbing at the shoulder it landed on. He hoped, as it was with anything else with Naruto, maybe distraction would work.

Every so often he would lightly flick the kid in the shoulder, whenever he thought Naruto was drifting to sleep. He just wanted him to be awake for an hour or two, just to make sure he was right and it was only a minor concussion but he knew the kid's head and the injury would make him want to sleep.

"I shouldn't have tried to go…I shoulda just stayed here…" Naruto muttered at one point, his eyes drawn out the windows and towards the part of the Village the festival set up in. Kakashi looked that way as well. "I didn't even do anything this time. I don't know what I did. I didn't prank anyone, I didn't say anything…"

Kakashi frowned and subconsciously clutched a little tighter.

"I don't understand it nii-san…"

"Neither do I Naruto." Kakashi lied and he felt really guilty the moment he did but part of his self was still loyal and a rule-follower. He could not, in good conscious, break the rule the Third had made. In all likelihood it would only make things worse. Much like Naruto and his goofy persona, it was far too late to back out now. "I think it's safe if you want to go to sleep now."

It was the coward's way out, Kakashi knew it, but he saw no protest as Naruto rose and started back for his room. Ririshii followed and it made Kakashi notice. "Oh and you can tell Riri its okay to go back now. I'll let Iruka know you won't be there tomorrow."

"But…"

"You're not going to want to move Naruto. Just go."

Naruto complied this time and headed into his room, leaving the door open this time. The one thing that Kakashi did not hear, however, was the familiar 'poof' that accompanied a released summons. Kakashi gave it sometime before standing and walking towards Naruto's room to peer inside.

Naruto was now asleep; his one arm lay carefully across his chest and a pained look was plastered across his face. Riri had jumped up into the bed with the boy and his large head lay below Naruto's hand, rising and falling with each breath the boy took. Kakashi wondered why in the world the kid would not defend himself or use what he knew to escape, but perhaps something held him back from that. It was worrisome and Kakashi cursed. He was getting way too attached here…

"_Too late for that I suppose. Crafty old man…" _he thought as he scraped a small part of his thumb and summoned Pakkun, hoping to not wake either the boy or the dog. He pointed to them both when the pug looked up at him questioningly.

"Explain that Pakkun." He whispered and the pug focused on the pair in front of him.

"Well I'll be…" Pakkun chuckled a bit and inched forward. "He actually summoned his own dog, not me."

"I thought he only signed the contract with you." Kakashi frowned a little. "And why is he still here?"

"Well that's what we thought we did. It was only theory." Pakkun muttered and saw the German shepherd perk up and glance at him. "Of course it is entirely possible he is not actually a summon. Naruto might have flubbed this entirely and made a familiar."

"That makes a little more sense." Kakashi crossed his arms and stared. It was still very unlikely, but it held more merit than a random dog summon coming out of nowhere without a contract. "That doesn't explain why he's still here."

Pakkun huffed loudly and smirked up at him. "I thought you were smart. If he's a familiar, we're stuck with him. If he's a summon well then I guess he's a lot like us. Have we not stayed at your side when you were hurt Kakashi-san?" Pakkun referred to himself and the seven other dogs Kakashi called his own. "Have I not kept watch when you needed me to?"

Kakashi sighed and closed his eyes, Pakkun had him there.

"Perhaps Naruto needs this dog like you needed me once." Pakkun said very quietly in hopes of not offending. Kakashi nodded and turned away. He knew what Pakkun referred to and it stung a little but it was truth. He had pleaded with Pakkun to stay nearby after what his father had committed, all those years ago. And the little pug had done so up until Minato-sensei had taken him in.

In some ways he was hoping that Pakkun was right. That this dog was a familiar not a summon. Park of him had been guilty teaching the boy because he would like to assume that like his father Naruto would be more inclined to summon Toads. But without that said contract he could not teach him so. That required Jiraiya and Jiraiya had not set foot back in Konoha for nearly nine years.

If this dog was not a summon from the Dogs then it meant Naruto was still free to discover his own contract. But how he had completely screwed up a jutsu with set hand signs and created a familiar was beyond Kakashi at this hour. It was possible…just completely random and unlikely.

Course this was Naruto. He was about as random as they came.

"_Maybe Asuma was right. I am insane. Still…" _he took a glance back and smirked. "_It remains very interesting."_

_

* * *

_

"Kakashi, where are we going?"

Kakashi smirked as they walked along in relative silence up till this point. He had drug the kid out of bed that day and told him to get dressed already. He had been in bed long enough and his head should be fine. As predicted the day after the incident, as it was now being called, Naruto had not moved. He had quickly woken, shut his blinds, complained about the light and all the noise and buried himself in a heap of blankets trying to dull the overstimulation.

That was two days ago and now he was pretty sure the kid was moping. And they could not have that. So he got him up, headed out the door, and just started walking. Naruto did as predicted and followed, either out of pure curiosity or pure instinct.

Kakashi did not answer him and just kept on, his hands in his pockets. He had a plan in mind but he was sure that Naruto at first was not going to like this. He was going to balk like a timid deer when he finally figured out their destination. Even though Kakashi had heard the hint of wanting in the admittance a few nights prior, he knew Naruto was going to balk.

"_I shouldn't have tried to go…I shoulda just stayed here." _

And of course Kakashi knew what he meant. He meant the Fire Festival. So as a test he was leading him right into the maw of it. It was the weekend by now and the Festival would be at its height and Kakashi figured safety in numbers. A good deal of people he knew would be around enjoying but if they saw him, and subsequently Naruto, they would probably also keep an eye out.

"Oh come on Nii-san." Naruto whispered vehemently. "I don't like surprises."

"Oh sure you do." Kakashi reached over and ruffled his hair, albeit lightly. "You certainly like surprising people."

"It's different." Naruto pouted a bit but kept on beside Kakashi. Keeping an eye on the streets they passed and the lack of vendors or shoppers. When they hit the area around the Hokage Tower Naruto did as expected and balked. "No."

"Hmm?" Kakashi pretending not to hear him at first but he had heard the quick and decisive tone the boy's voice took.

"Hell no." Naruto shook his head. "I'm not stupid. I'm not going. They don't want me there."

Kakashi stopped and regarded the tense stature the blonde had taken. He was absolutely rigid and he could see his one hand tapping insistently on the side of his leg.

"Are you nuts?! I'm not supposed to go…I'm okay with that."

"No you're not okay with it." Kakashi muttered and pointed behind him. "And I don't remember any rules barring anyone from this particular event so you are allowed to go if you want."

"Except for…"

"For the actions of a few deviants." Kakashi cut him off. "If you allow them to keep bullying you it will only get worse Naruto."

Kakashi paused and watched. Naruto's eyes predictably went behind him to the activities being held at the festival. By now he should have heard from classmates and others about what happened, there were games, there was food, and other entertainment. And even though he was training to become a ninja he was still just an eight year old kid. That had to hold some appeal to him.

"Anyways, I'm right here aren't I?" Kakashi offered up. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

Naruto's deep blue eyes turned back up to him and searched a lot like they did a few years ago. Unlike then, however, some of the tension melted away and Naruto looked again behind him to the festival. A few more minutes and he finally began walking forward. Kakashi merely began to shadow the kid.

Ten more minutes and he was slowly starting to relax more. Naruto was actually moving more freely and looking about in curiosity. And then just as Kakashi had hoped, someone took notice of him, in a good way.

"See I knew you came." Akimichi Choji came up to them, ignoring Kakashi and slugging Naruto in the shoulder. "HEY! SHIKAMARU! I found him!" Choji began waving wildly across the way and Kakashi caught sight of the Nara kid. Quietly Kakashi slipped the money he had on him in Naruto's pockets, while Naruto was busy panicking about the amount of attention Choji was drawing and then silently stepped back.

With Nara there were a handful of others from their class and they all crowded around to see if it really was him and asking him where he had been. Shikamaru started goading him then taking the lead through the rest of the festival, told Naruto where they were headed and to come on already.

Naruto looked for Kakashi, Kakashi noted it, but he had already taken up residence on a rooftop. Naruto looked around for a moment in confusion then blinked up at him and Kakashi waved him off. Naruto hesitated a little before rushing off to catch up with the others.

Kakashi kept his promise of being nearby. He was enjoying the quiet walk through the festival but kept himself alert to any threat that could present itself. Like Naruto he had not ever come to this particular celebration but for far different reasons. The first couple of years it was like a tribute to the late Yondaime and his defeat over the demon fox. As much as he preached keeping emotions at bay for the sake of missions, he really could not face the loss year after year. Even more so when he found out how the people of Konoha were treating his sensei's 'sacrifice', but now it seemed that it had returned to its roots a bit. It was really meant to be a big festival all around the Fire country, thus the name, but of all the small villages and estates around the country, Konoha was the only one to celebrate it this particular week.

Naruto for the most part seemed to enjoy himself after the initial paranoia died down. He became more relaxed and took on his 'mask' but Kakashi could see a little cracks in the persona when he joked around with Nara. Kakashi had been hearing rumors about the lazy kid from a few people but a few theorized he was actually very smart. He could see it with the two of them taking shots at one another. They both enjoyed the intellectual mind game they had going.

The rest of them did what most kids did when let loose in things like this. Played the games, got as much junk food as they could, talked with one another and the like. All the while most of them were unaware of their silent chaperone. Most of the other adults around did not take notice either. As Kakashi predicted, in a large group as he was, Naruto was just another kid. No one paid too much attention.

"_A successful plan" _He thought happily to himself as finally he just positioned himself near where Naruto would have to pass to come home.

A few hours later he did, coming up looking like he may have gotten in a scuffle with the Inuzuka boy but otherwise grinning like a wild man. He came up smiled at Kakashi and Kakashi merely stood and began heading home. He smiled underneath his mask, hopefully Naruto had lost some of his apprehension and he would start seeing what Kakashi said was true.

"Nii-san why'd you take off after a while?"

"I figured you were safe enough. Remember, there is always safety in numbers."

"Ah, I see. That's why most cells are three members." Naruto smirked to himself, happily munching on some pocky sticks he had secreted away somewhere.

Good he saw the parallel. Not only a good lesson but one that was applied to his training as well, the night was ending well enough.

"I don't believe it!"

Both Kakashi and Naruto stopped and looked behind them. Kakashi already knew who it was but still turned to face it. So far no one knew about Naruto save four people. The Hokage, Iruka, Asuma, and Kurenai, other than that no one knew Naruto stayed with him. Everyone else just saw an orphan. But now….he straightened and faced the tall taijutsu specialist better known as Maito Gai.

"I had heard you had a young ward Kakashi, you devil!"

"Oh kami…" Kakashi muttered and brought a hand up to rub at his forehead. "Gai…."

"To take on such a task as nurturing and protecting this young boy, you must have really rediscovered your flames of youth." The green clad Jounin proclaimed taking on one of this crazy stances as he did. Kakashi moaned and glanced down at Naruto.

"Oi nii-san who's the freak with the eyebrows?"

"Don't make eye contact, maybe he'll go away." Kakashi muttered but knew quite the opposite was true because soon Gai was up in his face smiling like a mad hatter.

"Still with the insults I see!" Gai chuckled a bit and then turned his attention to Naruto. "My name is Maito Gai, and though he always acts so cool and confident against me, I am Kakashi's eternal rival!"

Naruto merely raised an eyebrow and bit his bottom lip. Maybe this was a good thing. Kakashi could casually tell Naruto where Gai resided and he would have a new target and Gai would be out of his hair. Watching the theatrics though, Kakashi doubted it. Gai was still Gai after all.

"Speaking of, now that you are back to your old self," Gai smiled brightly and pointed in Kakashi's face. "You and I have unfinished business…."

"He's serious…" Naruto quietly snickered.

"We are currently at 30-26 with you in the lead." Gai put his hands on his hips and his face got serious. "I must have a chance to redeem myself and prove my flames of youth!"

"You're not going to let it drop are you?" Kakashi sighed heavily. "Fine it's your turn to pick and let's make this short Gai, we were kind of on our way home…"

"Of course, now let's see…should it be a contest of wills, a duel, a…."

Kakashi quickly pushed Naruto in the shoulder and out of the way. "GO!" he whispered and Naruto realized they were slowly inching their way away from the green monster that had come out of freaking nowhere and began talking loudly. They could still hear the man going through possible "contests" and Kakashi was speeding up to get the heck out of there.

Once they were a safe distance away he sighed heavily and scratched at his head. "He just does not give up…."

"That was great!" Naruto laughed. "Who was he? Why haven't I met him before?!"

"Naruto stay far away from him...he's insane." Kakashi glared over his shoulder, checking for the presence of Gai. "I've been lucky to dodge him this long."

"Man that outfit of his was wicked…wonder if you can get one of those in orange?"

"WHAT?!"

"HAH! Got you nii-san." Naruto darted off a safe distance then stuck out his tongue a bit. "Race ya home!"

Kakashi let him get the head start and glared after the boy. Oh that was low and mean. Then again things were back to normal.

* * *

**Author note x2: **okieday, another chapter gone. Before we all go into the theories and schematics of what constitutes a summon and what constitutes a familiar, I am still up in the air about Riri. With all the different animals and how long they can be up and allllll of that stuff involved Riri is a wild card. I mean lets take in effect TonTon, Tsunades/Shizune's pig. The sites I normally lurk around consider TonTon and familiar. Same with Akamaru. But the ninja dogs are considered summons. We've all seen them up for varying amounts of time and what not. I'm leaning more towards a Familiar. Akamaru is bred and was born but what about TonTon, something about that pig seems more created or summoned to me. So yeah this is purely speculation about the whole concept of a Familiar and a Summons. One that I've decided to go with purely because well you're Naruto and you want a dog to show up right? Tada! XD anyway enough of insane ramblings...the fun chapter is next! See ya all soon


	4. A Fox in Human's Clothing

**The Fox and the Hound**

**Chapter 3:**A Fox in Human's Clothing

**Chapter Summary:**Truth hurts and wounds deep. Sooner or later the truth about the demon fox would come and scar deeper than any physical wound.

**Author note: **We're just jumping right in here kids ;) enjoy …..*goes to happily munch on angst plot bunnies*

* * *

Naruto stared blankly up at the silver-haired Chuunin in the tree ahead of him. The man went on and on about the rules and how everyone in the village was forbidden to talk about him at all but it did not prevent them from trying to do something about it. Mizuki himself was tired of living a lie. And for the rest of his impassioned revelation of Naruto's true identity, Naruto's whole world went blank.

It could not be true, right? There was just no way it could be….but then again it all suddenly made sense. All the ambushes and hatred around his birthday, the way people just glared at him and made spiteful comments, and the sometimes altercations that had no reasons attached to them.

It now all made sense.

Iruka-sensei was saying something; pleading with Mizuki not to tell him, not to break the rule that the Third Hokage…._**The Third…**_had put down. Once it was out, however, the other Chuunin started taking side long glances in Naruto's direction to see his reaction.

He could not react. He did not know how to.

Naruto caught the movement from the tree. Mizuki was raising his large shuriken; spouting something to Iruka and aiming for his person. He was not sure what to do but the tried and true urge to run began to creep into his mind. Still he warred with himself, this could not be happening. There was no way what Mizuki had said was true. The silver-haired Chuunin had always disliked him….he had to be lying. But then why had Iruka panicked like he had? What rule was everyone talking about?

"_They all want me dead. All this time, they just wanted me dead. Maybe…maybe…"_

The shuriken was loosed and Naruto involuntarily flinched. He had waited too long again to respond to a threat. Once again he was going to pay for his lax attitude. But when he heard the shuriken hit he did not feel anything and opened his eyes to find Iruka, standing in front of him with the weapon embedded lightly in his back.

The Chuunin winced as he held himself up over Naruto, who at some point had hit the ground in confusion. Naruto stared up unblinking at the instructor he claimed as his favorite and could not tear his gaze away. Why had he just done that? What was wrong with Iruka?

Why was he still sitting there like an idiot?

Naruto fled. Like a coward he darted away from the situation with the scroll he had stolen slung over his shoulder as he moved. Naruto caught the sound of Iruka yelling after him and Mizuki taking up the chase. He could not care to listen to it all...all he cared about now was getting away.

All that work, Kami he was an idiot in the truest sense. Mizuki had tricked him…had **used** him. Once again Naruto had failed the Genin exam because of a stupid basic skill. He could not go back to Kakashi in failure so he had been open to any suggestion one of his teachers had given him.

And when Mizuki had told him what he could possibly do, he had momentarily been elated. _"How easy!" _he had thought earlier that evening. How many times had he snuck into the Towers? How many times had he gone digging through the records rooms to find information on his family? It was like an open book test! He knew the inside and out of that building and all of the traps laid in wait.

But now the excitement he had held of actually learning the first skill on the scroll during the hours he had gone unnoticed was plummeting. Naruto clutched at the scrolls handle tightly as he flew through the trees towards no particular destination. Everything was for nothing now. He had been played as the pawn that he was and everyone blamed HIM.

He finally came to a stop, grasping the scroll in front of him, panting and looking around frantically for a good place to hide. Maybe if Iruka caught up…no…no Mizuki had to be right. The Fox killed Iruka's parents and according to Mizuki he was the fox. Naruto shut his eyes tightly and shuddered.

"_It all makes sense…."_

Naruto froze and held his breath as he heard Iruka and Mizuki nearby. Mizuki was continuing to try to get Iruka to join him in his chase and Iruka kept refusing. He was refusing to believe Mizuki when Mizuki said Naruto was merely the fox. Finally Mizuki had enough of Iruka's interference and turned on his once-comrade; the same shuriken once aimed at Naruto was neatly aimed for Iruka who seemed winded from his first hit.

"_Don't….don't let it happen. Don't. He'll say you did it. They'll blame you…" _

He lashed out. He was sure Iruka probably hated him but he still felt attached to the older man who had kept an eye out over him at school. Had he done so on orders? Had the Hokage made him? It did not matter; if he did not do something Mizuki would blame him for the Chuunin's death regardless.

Sucker punches were good for throwing people off their balance and he got Mizuki good. Once e had he put to use what he had been practicing in the hours before Iruka had found him. He and a near thousand other him's went after the silver-haired man with desperation Naruto could not quite place. He wanted to keep going, to hurt Mizuki just as much as he had hurt Iruka and himself but he stopped and backed away. After a while keeping up the shadow clones made him tired so he stopped and observed Mizuki, now unconscious on the ground ahead of him. Iruka was silent behind him as Naruto panted and waited to see if the Chuunin was going to get up and fight more.

Naruto finally could take no more. He sat the scroll down between Mizuki and Iruka and took off again. There was no way he could go back now. There were probably ninja all over the village looking to kill him for stealing the Scroll. The fox, he was sure they assumed, had finally woken up.

He finally stopped near the river. His body was screaming bloody murder for both the chakra he had just burnt through and for the absolute high levels of adrenaline still coursing through his veins. Naruto opted to scurry up a tree and huddled as tightly as he could in a crook of a sturdy, thick branch. He stared out into the darkness and wondered just why it had taken him so long to realize that everyone treated him like shit and there had to be a reason for it.

Long ignored memories of glares and names, of insults and punches ran rampant in his mind as he silently hugged himself up in the tree he had found. Even the long repressed memory of the old woman throwing him down an alley and threatening him should he return remained stuck in the perpetual loop.

What did this mean? Was he Naruto or was he actually the Nine-Tailed Fox? Why hadn't the Third told him? Was there actually a rule handed down by him limiting the whole village from talking about it?

Did Kakashi know? If he did not, did he now?

Naruto dug his fingers into his head. This was too much. He could not handle this. How was he supposed to handle this? They had all learned about the day the Fox attacked the village. The imposing thought of such a demonic creature, made entirely of chakra, had made most of them cringe in fear. The story of the Yondaime bravely going forward and defeating it made them all feel brave again and most looked up to the Fourth and his sacrifice for the village.

But if he was the fox…what kind of sacrifice was it? Or was he the sacrifice and the Hokage just prevented it and that was what made everyone angry? Was he a demon fox or was he a human? He was not sure what to think anymore and despite wanting nothing more than to ignore the man's words, they held merit. Everything made more sense with the Demon Fox in the equation.

An audible whine broke through Naruto's racing thoughts and he glanced down. A large German shepherd stood at the bottom of the tree sniffing at the base before glancing up in his general direction. The chocolate brown eyes met his and he froze. The animal sat down and wagged its tail back and forth slowly, barking up at him and cocking his head to the side.

"Riri…" Naruto whispered. The animal took it as a sign and leapt up to the branch Naruto sat on just as easily as Naruto himself had. Riri stopped just slightly ahead of him and lay down. Naruto could not resist and he rested his hand in the scruff of the dog's thick fur. He leaned back against the base of the tree and continued to try to calm his racing thoughts.

Riri eventually scooted closer, till he was between Naruto's legs and laid his head on the boy's shoulder. Naruto shuddered and wrapped his arms around the dog and clutched tightly, after all was said and done all he could do was cry. Shinobi did not cry, that was a rule he supposed, and he was sure demons did not cry either but he could not help the tears streaming down his face. It all just hurt too much.

"You'll still be my friend right Riri? You never hated me for being a demon?" Riri whined and pushed away a little bit. His large muzzle came up and began licking at the tears on his cheeks. Naruto merely balled up his hands in the thick scruff of black back fur. "That's all I ever was, a monster, Riri. They never told me…"

"No."

The word startled Naruto so badly he came up rigid and released his hold on Riri. He panicked and began looking around but found only the dog and himself. Riri cocked his head to the side and the dark black muzzle opened again and the word came out once more. "No. Not you."

"Riri?" Naruto sniffed uncertainly. Maybe he was just losing his mind and he was imaging things but he was pretty sure his dog had just spoken. "You can talk?"

"Pakkun can…" Riri's head tipped to the other side. "I can learn?"

Riri nuzzled around him again and Naruto found he could only hug the large dog tighter. The tears did not end and he still felt panicked and rushed. He should not be wasting time, he should be moving further away but he found himself glued to his spot.

"Sad." Riri whined in his ear. "What did silver-hair do to you?"

"He told me the truth…why people hurt me and call me names." Naruto snuffed and shuddered as the memory, only hours old, resurfaced. "He told me I was the Nine-Tailed Fox."

Riri growled low in his throat and it made Naruto cringed involuntarily. His dog probably understood now and would turn on him. Instead he felt the dog sniffing the top of his head, his nose rooting around in his hair.

"You don't smell like a fox." The dog sat straight and looked at the top of Naruto's head and then down to his feet. "No ears, no tails, no fur."

"He said something about it being sealed." Naruto frowned and glanced away, he really was not too sure of the specifics either. "But I was the nine-tails…the one that got the Yondaime and all those other people killed."

Riri snorted and shook its head as if he had something up his nose for real. He then laid his head back down in Naruto's lap. "Different, I think."

They were silent for a while when a thought struck Naruto like a ten-ton hammer. "Wait? Who sent you? Why are you here?"

"No one." Riri licked his hand comfortingly. "I heard ninja hunting. I went hunting for you. Heard the scar-face calling after you but he was hurt. So was the silver-hair."

"I did that." Naruto winced, feeling some of the pain in his fists from having gone at Mizuki so forcibly. If anyone from the village found him he was in a lot of trouble…if not dead.

"He attacked you first." Riri reached up and licked at his chin. "Defense. Scar-face was worried, kept asking the silver-hair why he had to tell."

"Scar-face hates me." Naruto mumbled, not too attentive to what his dog was calling his teachers. Any other time he would be elated that Riri could talk like Pakkun did. Now he just felt defeated and lonely…"I killed his parents."

"No." Riri growled again. "You are Naruto, not a fox."

"I don't know what to believe anymore." Naruto closed his eyes and pulled on his jacket, loose and somewhat torn from the night's activity. "I just don't know…"

"Kakashi-sama would know."

"No, no I can't…" Naruto began to shake his head back and forth forcibly. He had to bite down on the panic rising in his gut again. "No ….he…"

"Always helps when you are hurt." Riri whined, uncertain with the change of faith his master was showing.

"Not this time Riri." Naruto shuddered and drew his arms up to his chest. "I…I can't be sure. I don't know who knows and who doesn't and what they think and …."

"Okay." Riri's ears dropped a little as he interrupted Naruto's panic attack. He nuzzled back up to the almost-teenager and let the boy use him as a leaning post. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly as the boy shuddered against him and clung to him like a lifeline. Normally his master was much more confident and willing to believe in others but this…this was something new. He was frightened, more frightened than Riri had ever seen him. If it made him feel better to stay out in the trees then they would stay there until he felt safe enough to return home.

It did not take long for the boy to lose the battle with his exhausted state and Riri felt the weight of the boy on him more so than before. He gently grabbed hold of his jacket and slowly stood to make sure Naruto was on his back evenly enough and then leapt to the ground below. He again laid and allowed Naruto to curl up against him, feeling much safer on the solid ground.

Much later in the night the sound of voices and the scent of humans turned Riri's head into the forest behind him. Naruto had finally fallen into a fitful sleep, not anywhere near restful, but it was better than just being unconscious. Ririshii stood carefully, to not disturb him and then quietly shook the dirt from his stomach. The blonde merely groaned and turned away from where he had been facing. He shivered in the colder night air and Riri whined. It was mid-January and the nights held a bit more bite to them than in other months. It was too cold to be sleeping out like this.

Riri quietly slipped into the forest's growth and started tracking down what he had heard. He began slinking closer to the ground as he got within proximity of what he was searching for. It was a group sent to look for the boy, to hurt or help him, Riri was not sure. He had to be sure before approaching anyone and he was not entirely sure Naruto wanted it to be anyone at all. The way he had acted earlier at the thought of even seeking out Kakashi or others told the dog he was uncertain about who to trust again.

"He went this general direction, I'm sure of it."

Riri hunkered down on his haunches and peered through the thick foliage he was using for cover. Granted that his eyes did not quite work as well as a cat's would in the dim night lights they were still good enough to make out what was ahead of him.

"I should have moved faster to stop him. I should have tried to stop Mizuki before…"

"What's done is done Iruka." And elderly man reached out and patted the scar-faced teacher of Naruto's from earlier. "There was little you could do to stop him in your state."

Riri waited as the two of them traveled closer to his position. Suddenly he found himself surrounded by a pack of dogs, all barking and wagging their tails at him. He snarled a bit and bared his teeth at the pack of Kakashi's and lowered his ears. So much for not being noticed until he was sure it was safe.

The two he had been focused on came his direction and a loud whistle caused the other dogs to scatter, save for the annoying little pug and Riri looked up above him. Coming down through the tree tops was Kakashi. It was the trio he believed his master trusted the most…or at least he once had. Whatever the silver-haired teacher had told him earlier had shattered all semblance of trust Naruto had with anyone save for Ririshii himself.

"Ririshii."

Riri sat down obediently and looked up at the silver-haired man he knew the best, Kakashi-sama, and cocked his head to the side. Kakashi merely knelt down a bit and scratched his ears lightly as he always did when Naruto was gone and it was just he and Kakashi in the apartment. But shortly after the man speared him with a look.

"Where is he Riri?"

Riri pretended to be dumb as he had for a while with Naruto. He was still learning how to speak as humans did, for his owner's sake. He cocked his head to the other side of his body. Kakashi frowned and poked him in his muzzle.

"You reek of him Riri, you know where he is."

"Speak you little mongrel." Pakkun growled at his side and nipped at Riri's front leg. Riri could not help but yelp and jump away from the older pug. Those damn little teeth hurt worse than anything the big bull dog could throw at him. "I know you can by now, you've slipped."

"Stupid pug." Riri snarled at him, lowering his muzzle down to Pakkun's eye level. He bared his teeth slightly and growled a bit more. "When I speak, I choose."

Pakkun was pleased enough with this and sat with his gaze now on Kakashi who had rocked back on his heels a bit. Riri straightened up and ruffled a bit at the thought that he had just given himself away.

"Great another one of you that can talk." Kakashi scoffed and poked the shepherd's muzzle again. "So Riri-san, start talking!"

"I found him first." Riri whimpered. "Scared, hurt, confused…"

"Riri was it?" The older man was coming forward. "Did he saw why he was scared? Why he was confused?"

"Silver-haired teacher called him the Demon Fox. The Nine-tails." Riri laid his ears back and snarled. "Talks in his sleep, says they want him dead, all this time they were trying to kill him."

The old man sighed heavily and closed his eyes for a bit. "I suppose it was the most logical conclusion for him to come to in light of it all."

"Truth then?" Riri did come to attention at the lack of denial. "Nine-tails?"

"The fox was sealed in Naruto as a baby, Ririshii." Kakashi took to scratching at his ears again with a gloved hand. Kakashi's gaze was behind Riri and far off. Riri wanted nothing more than to lead Kakashi to Naruto but he feared his owner's reaction. Naruto had panicked at the mere mention of his guardian.

"All this time around us and you still can't talk a straight sentence, you stupid mutt." Pakkun snorted up at him. Riri growled back and took his front paw and laid it on the pug's head, pushing the smaller dog to his stomach.

"You've yet to tell me where he his Riri." Kakashi interrupted their little dominance struggle. Riri whimpered and lay beside Pakkun. A dilemma is what he believed this was called. They were all looking to him; waiting for him to answer their questions and lead them to the boy they had been searching for.

"Riri…."

"Afraid to go back." Riri answered in kind. "Fears the Shinobi, fears Scar-face, fears you."

The last admission forced Kakashi's gaze to fix on him particularly hard. Riri knew it hurt the older man to hear that Naruto feared him…at least for now he did. Normally he did not.

"Confused…." Riri whimpered into the silence.

"What if just Pakkun goes with you?" The older man spoke up. His suggestion did have merit too. Naruto had never said anything about the pug that originally had been Naruto's favorite. Pakkun nodded and stood, Riri agreed as well and began retracing his steps back to Naruto.

When they came to him Riri came up and nudged Naruto's shoulder with his muzzle and licked at his ear. Pakkun only sat a few feet away watching with a sad look upon his face.

"Riri cut it out." Naruto mumbled and pushed the shepherd's nose away from his ear. "I'm tired…"

"Perhaps you would sleep better back home, Naruto."

Naruto came up almost instantly and his eyes turned to the little pug slowly and then back up to Riri. He backed all the way till his back hit the base of the tree and glared at Ririshii.

"Why didn't you say something, we could have moved…"

"Riri is worried about you, Naruto." Pakkun continued on, answering for the shepherd. "So is Kakashi."

Naruto hung his head and brought his knees up to his chest. He wrapped his arms around them and huddled in on himself. Riri whimpered at him and nudged his arm a little and stuck his nose under. Pakkun edged closer as well until he could rest his head on top of Naruto's feet.

"Iruka told us what happened Naruto-kun. He came to find us after you ran off." Pakkun began to explain. "Everyone knows that Mizuki tricked you Naruto. No one is angry with you."

"That's not true." Naruto whispered. "The whole village is angry at me almost all of the time."

"That is why Kakashi and I looked after you." Pakkun sighed and nudged at Naruto's hand, dangling in front of him. "Not everyone hates you."

"He will now." Naruto muttered from underneath his arms. "The Yondaime was his Sensei, Pakkun…."

"Kakashi-san always knew Naruto." Pakkun sat up and admitted to the boy. "He's always known what the Fourth did to you."

Riri picked up on the wording Pakkun had used. So did Naruto as his grip on his knees lessened a bit and the boy peered up over his arms at the pug.

"You had no choice in this and that does not make you the demon. People are just very ignorant. In time they will see what we all see…a good Shinobi that loves Konoha despite all of this. Anyway…" Pakkun snuffed a bit and smiled sadly up at the blonde. "We really want to see if Iruka told us the truth or not."

Naruto looked between Riri and the pug before finally taking the bait. "About what?"

"You used Kage Bushins…Quite a lot of them." Naruto darted his eyes away quickly, assuming it was bad that he knew something off of that scroll. "It is nothing to be ashamed of Naruto. That is a hard technique to learn and to have learned it in a few hours that is quite a feat."

"I don't think I could do that many again."

"Well no, not tonight at any rate." Pakkun huffed and stood. "But once you use it more and get the hang of it…."

"It's forbidden though…"

"No, it is advanced." Pakkun corrected him. "Some Shinobi are given access to those scrolls. You've just learned something most do not even attempt until they are Jounin."

There was a very long heavy silence afterwards. Riri wondered if Pakkun's attempts to put Naruto at ease were doing more harm than good in the boy's current state of mind. The boy huddled closer to Riri and leaned his head on his shoulder, eyes distant and unfocused on either of them.

"Naruto, please come back with us." Pakkun whimpered finally.

Naruto again darted his gaze away. Part of him wanted to believe the pug but all he could keep remembering was everyone else. He was sure Kakashi did not hate him…he had lived with the man for how long now? Still he had done something so incredibly stupid, not to mention he failed again, and there was just the slightest sliver of doubt. What if he was wrong? What if all this time the Hokage had made Kakashi as well?

"What if I brought Kakashi here?"

Naruto ducked his head again but did not refuse the request. He felt Pakkun's weight off of his foot and knew the pug had darted off to find the Jounin. Riri watched the pug retreat and then nuzzled under Naruto's arm.

"Poor pup…."

* * *

"So when exactly did he summon that dog, Kakashi?" Sandaime asked shortly after the pair of nin-dogs slunk off into the darkened forests.

"Around his eighth birthday." Kakashi sighed watching after the dogs. "He summoned him by accident when he had gotten ambushed by some overzealous villagers…the mutt's just stuck around since then."

"And you failed to tell me about this…."

"Never seen it with Naruto before…" Iruka was saying lowly, more to himself than the two present with him.

"He does not seem to be a nin-dog so much as he's just Naruto's dog; a pet more than anything." Kakashi rubbed at the back of his head and kept his eye out for the return of Pakkun. "He stays in our apartment most of the time, or goes off to explore with Naruto late at night."

"More than a familiar than a summons, how interesting." Sandaime chuckled a bit. "How did he come up with that idea in the first place?"

"I taught him the summoning seals." Kakashi replied bluntly. "I only had him sign the contract with Pakkun so it is a mystery as to how exactly he went from trying to summon Pakkun to creating his own dog. I only taught it to him as a means of protection…"

"Which it seems to me it has worked to that end. Riri was the first to find Naruto. He must have heard all the ruckus we caused right after he got his hands on the scroll."

Pakkun landed quietly at Kakashi's feet and interrupted the silence that had fallen between the men. Kakashi glanced at the dog and looked behind him for the other two but saw no indication that the blonde and the shepherd had accompanied Pakkun.

"I can't pull him like I did the last time." Pakkun said quietly and Kakashi snorted a bit. He recalled the little four year old that Pakkun had forcibly drug into his reach in an alley eight years prior.

"Alright then, now what?" Sandaime sighed.

"I'll deal with it Hokage-sama." Kakashi pushed off from his leaning post and stretched a bit. "I'll report back to you when we get back."

Sandaime nodded and looked back to Iruka. "Come Iruka, let's get you actually bandaged up, not just patched so you can traipse around in the forests."

Iruka looked about ready to protest then bowed his head and turned to follow the Hokage, only taking a moment to glance back at Kakashi who was now following Pakkun away. Kakashi had understood what Pakkun was doing. The pug was unsuccessful in convincing Naruto it was safe so he was dragging Kakashi to Naruto.

This whole night was a nightmare. When he had heard about the stunt his roommate had pulled he had gone out solo to look for him; with little results. But when a rather bloody Chuunin had returned, scroll in hand; it became more worry than irritation that drove Kakashi to find the blonde. Iruka had explained what Mizuki had done….and Kakashi seethed. Something always seemed off with the Chuunin instructor and he always seemed obsessed with personal power. He had finally found a way to get at it without getting his hands dirty.

Why Naruto had listened to the man was a question Kakashi would later have to ask, but it was not a question that was appropriate now. Iruka's next words had been what Mizuki had told Naruto. Kakashi assumed sooner or later it would have come out; that many years without someone accidentally blurting out the truth about Naruto's role in the village had been a blessing, but now of all times?

He came to the river with Pakkun and sighed as he saw Naruto, head on his knees covered by his arms and Riri sitting right next to him; looking up only as they approached.

This revelation had devastated the boy; Kakashi could see it in his posture. Just as Naruto was starting to come into his own and stand up for himself, this came along and destroyed it all. As Riri had told them, this knowledge as well as the memory of what happened to him if he ventured out on his birthday, had led the boy to connect the two together. Naruto understood now all the threats and the harassment, not that it helped his state of mind in the present situation.

So naturally the reaction was to fear them. Now that he knew about it maybe they would be more liberal with the chasing and the beatings. Or they really would try to kill him in the fear that he would release the fox.

Kakashi strode over to where the boy sat and knelt down. Naruto had gone absolutely stiff and was waiting to see what the Jounin did before he showed his face. He only reached out and placed a gloved hand atop his head and waited. Cautious blue eyes peered up at him from above a sleeved arm.

"You okay?" he whispered as he ruffled the blonde spikes. Kami, the kid was looking too much like Minato-sensei anymore.

"I didn't…I didn't mean to Kakashi, I swear. Mizuki…he swore! He swore if I learned something from…."

"Iruka told us everything Naruto." Kakashi silenced him and the boy cringed beneath his hand.

"Is it true then?" Naruto suddenly sat up straight and Kakashi found himself speared eye to eye with the blonde. "Is that the reason everyone treats me like they do?"

"Part of it is true yes. The Fourth sealed the fox in you as a baby; it was the only way to stop the destruction of the village. But that does not make you the demon fox. The Yondaime would have never wanted anyone to treat you like they do; he believed they would see you as a hero in his steed….he was sadly mistaken."

Naruto only stared off into the ground. Kakashi was unsure what he should do about the sudden change in behavior but he decided that maybe it would be better for the kid to be home where he probably felt safer, less exposed. "Come on kid, let's go. It's cold out here."

"But the vill…."

"I won't let anyone touch you Naruto. We'll just go home and you can sleep on this."

Naruto stood and kept his head hung low but he came up to Kakashi and the older man slung his arm around the boy's shoulders to keep him within reach. Riri stood as well his tail wagging slightly as he positioned himself near Pakkun. The little pug jumped up onto the shepherd's back and they took the lead heading out of the forests back to Konoha.

"_What do I do about this? It's like a different person took his place." _Kakashi pondered as they went. He would take a few glances down at Naruto but Naruto did not look up from the ground. "_Even when I first found him this scared personality did not stay longer than a few minutes before he decided to go forward. It's like he's paralyzed." _

In all honesty this might be a harder thing to fix than any of them thought.

* * *

The next day that worry only grew. Kakashi stayed perched in his windowsill watching particularly nothing while the morning and most of the afternoon drug on. Pakkun and Riri had gone with Naruto into his room and not so much as a noise had been heard since they returned late last night.

Kakashi himself had ducked out at some point to report to the Hokage. He told him Naruto was indeed back in the village but Kakashi had little luck convincing the twelve-year-old to do more than just hide in his room. The Hokage had nodded and said to give it some time and Naruto, they hoped, would come to terms with this new truth.

The Hokage had also handed him the blue cloth headband with a head protector attached. Iruka's word was enough for him and after looking over the tests himself, he had found that Naruto really had placed much higher and should have graduated anyways despite his failure to produce a regular bushin. In all honesty the boy had placed just below Haruno Sakura in the written portion of the test.

That did not really surprise Kakashi that much. Kakashi actually only wondered if the boy had passed the second time but had been failed with the rest of the group a year ago. Part of him wanted to give the head protector to Naruto and tell him as such, but the other part wondered if he would also figure out why he kept failing. So instead Kakashi had left the object on the kitchen counter and left it at that.

There was really no way to tell what Naruto would want now that he realized there was more behind the harassment than his pranking.

Finally in the later afternoon Kakashi noticed the door creeping open and waited patiently as a bleary-eyed blonde stalked out of his room. He blinked for a moment at the kitchen, and the headband still there, but then headed for where Kakashi was and sat beneath the window his head resting just behind Kakashi's back.

"So…." Kakashi gently probed a bit and waited to see if Naruto merely had wanted just to be near someone or he was ready to talk about it.

"I'm a jailer not a demon fox." Naruto whispered and ran let his hands fiddle with his coat sleeves. He went through more coats that way.

"Correct." Kakashi nodded and reached down to let his hand rest in the soft blonde spikes behind him.

"It kinda explains these marks on my cheeks."

"Yes, I guess it does." Kakashi smirked a little, an odd observation but it was one that apparently he had been mulling over.

"It's just…." Naruto shuddered a bit and clutched tightly to the coat hems. "It's a sealing jutsu right? What happens if…if it comes…"

"The Yondaime Hokage was a seal master, taught by one of the legendary Sannin's." Kakashi explained slowly. "I have little doubt that the seal will hold. After all is has for twelve years hasn't it?" He took a quick glance down, saw Naruto peering up at him and then went back to looking out the window. "There is no way the Yondaime would have done anything to endanger your life or Konoha…so I have faith in that seal… I have faith in you."

In the silence that followed Kakashi heard the tell-tale clicks of toenails on the Spartan floors of their apartment. He looked up to see Riri stalking towards the kitchen and then leaping up on his hind legs to reach the headband Kakashi had left there. The dog took it gently in its mouth and came trotting into the living room. Riri sat there; tail wagging, in front of Naruto waiting patiently for the boy to take the object from him.

Finally Naruto reached out and took the headband and fingered it lightly in his hands. He did not put it on but he did smile a little.

"They let me graduate?"

"Yes."

"But why? I can't make Bushins…I failed that part of the test and probably did really bad on the others."

"No. You actually came in second on the written exam behind Haruno. You only lost a few fights in the taijutsu portion. Technically they should have overlooked the Bushin failure and let you graduate. But I have a theory on the Bushin, had you ever bothered to ask…" Kakashi teased lightly hoping to get some rise out of Naruto. "Your chakra control is shit."

"Thanks a lot nii-san." Naruto huffed he put on the headband, looping it around his neck instead of his actual forehead.

"It's a rather common problem with people like you." Kakashi chuckled a bit glad to see Naruto did not take the insult to heart and had almost thrown one back in kind. "People who are larger capacity chakra users usually have control issues. I mean you passed me in chakra capability about a year ago…"

"Oh is that why I screw it up so….wait." Naruto sat up from the wall and really turned to face him now. "I have more chakra than you?"

"Yes. Did it not occur to you that you were basically learning a step up from a regular bushin? Instead of an illusion you were creating the real thing? The only reason Kage Bushin was so easy for you and Regular Bushin are so hard is the amount of control and the amount of Chakra being used."

"Then why is that technique on that scroll? I mean, if it's just a step up."

Kakashi smiled he had successfully gotten the kid's mind off of moping. "Like I said, the amount of chakra required. I can do Kage Bushin. However, if you and I each produced one and saw which one lasted longer, yours would win. Anyone trying to do what you just did last night, how did Iruka put it...a small army, would fall over from chakra exhaustion. "

Naruto merely blinked up at him, for a little while anyways. Soon a smile started to creep across his face and he was thinking one thing. Kakashi was going to pay for admitting that one but it was worth it to see the kid at least crack a smile.

"At any rate are you at least feeling better about all of this, Oto?"

"Hai, Nii-san. I think I get it now." Naruto nodded and began to pet his dog. "But…I don't want people to see me and be afraid or angry anymore. How do I do that?"

"That is something you yourself will have to come up with." Kakashi shrugged, pushed himself from his seat and stretched. "You are a Genin now, at any rate, and will be placed into a three man cell tomorrow. I think that deserves some reward."

"Great! Ramen." Naruto shot off for his room to change, Riri barking after him. Kakashi sighed heavily, shook his head and started heading out the window. Naruto would catch up and he had already made it clear where they were headed.

There were still going to be doubts, and Naruto would probably think up of harder and harder questions but for now he was satisfied with the answers he had been given. Kakashi wondered idly when he had time to study sealing jutsu, because his first concern had been what would happen if it was released or failed. Then again he now knew just how well Naruto could get around without people noticing him. He had gotten in, out, and had time to study the Sacred Scroll before anyone had come upon him. Who's to say what all he knew at this point.

And though he would not say so out loud, he had taken notice of the bright orange coat the kid had been wearing the previous night with a black t-shirt underneath. Naruto had snuck in, located, and then stolen the Scroll while wearing orange.

And it was a small wonder that Naruto had not brought it up.

* * *

"_Okay, stupid ID photo, that's done. Made sure I was stocked up on everything. May or may not have bought a few more bowls of ramen…._" Naruto went through his own mental checklist as he strolled leisurely towards the Academy. It was kind of nice not going in super early but then again he had been given the impression perhaps he should be prepared.

But doing all of those things were better than sitting in a room waiting to hear about their cells and who they would be paired up with. Naruto had already been thinking about it but did not like his chances.

Shikamaru and Choji, sure he would be elated, but he already knew that their fathers and Yamanaka Ino's father were close. They were their own cell and something told Naruto whoever was in charge of thinking up these teams would stick to tradition. As of late he and Kiba had really not been getting along so he really was hoping that Kiba was not it either. That left a couple of other choices. Some were okay and others he cringed.

So as Naruto came to door he was supposed to go to he did get an odd flip in his gut. One, he was sure someone was going to point out he was not supposed to be there. He did not graduate with the rest of the class. Two, he had not seen Iruka since a couple nights ago. He still felt a little guilty about the whole night. And he was still a little apprehensive about what it was _**sealed, **_as he kept reminding himself, inside of him.

"Heya Naruto."

Naruto turned and found Iruka standing behind him, kinda of bandaged up and looking a little sheepish himself. Naruto smirked a bit but he knew it fell flat. "Oh heya Iruka-sensei."

"About what happened Naruto?" The Chuunin began and rubbed at his ponytail. "You don't actually believe all that do you? That I would hate you?"

Naruto ducked his gaze and fidgeted under the attention. "No Iruka-sensei, not really, I just got so confused and I wasn't sure…"

"Well I don't." Iruka patted him on the shoulder reassuringly. "Just so you know."

"Thanks Iruka-sensei. You're alright aren't ya?"

"Oh this, yeah it's nothing. Come on lets go, everyone is probably waiting."

Iruka went in before him, taking on that persona of head instructor pretty well. Naruto took in a deep breath and just strode right in. He ignored all the gapes and pointing fingers and just sat himself right next to Shikamaru and Choji who were blinking in surprise.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Found out I really did pass." Naruto grinned madly. "Someone screwed up on my test."

"No way!" Choji leaned across Shikamaru and smiled happily. "We were afraid we were leaving you behind!"

"Nah!" Naruto grinned put his hands behind his head and tugged a little on his headband, tied around his neck. "Just late as always!"

Iruka cleared his throat and Naruto realized he was holding a clipboard in front of him formally now. Instead of giving some lecture or test, what usually happened when the clipboard came out, he began reading off team numbers and names.

"Team Ten: Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Choji, Yamanaka Ino."

Naruto sighed; well that was no surprise to him. Shikamaru was groaning beside him just a little bit and laying his head down on the table in front of the three boys.

"Sorry about your luck man." Naruto patted Shikamaru jokingly. He could hear Ino a few rows away bemoaning her misfortune as well.

A few more teams were read off and Naruto kind of half listened. He was out the two he would want to be with but that had been guessed. He glanced around the room, there was not too many left from their little core group that Naruto knew that well…which could be a good thing. He could be on a team of people he did not know and get to know them.

"Team 7, Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto perked up and started paying attention. Well here it went. "Haruno Sakura."

"WHAT!"

Naruto flinched, he liked Sakura well enough but like most of the girls in his class she was completely and utterly obsessed with Sasuke. Then again maybe she would calm down once away from the classroom setting…unless…

"and Uchiha Sasuke."

"WHAT!" Naruto momentarily leaped up on the desk in front of him. Great, just great, out of all of the assholes he got the king. Paired up with Sakura this was an utter disaster.

"No way! Forehead gets to be in a team." He could hear Ino going on as well.

"Oh I guess our teams not so bad Choji." Shikamaru elbowed Choji and smirked as Naruto glared back at him. "At least we're not stuck with Sasuke."

"I'll trade you for Ino." Naruto flat out offered.

"Nah, I think we'll keep her."

"Team 10; Inuzuka Kiba, Hyuuga Hinata, Aburame Shino."

"Oh come on Shikamaru. "

"No way. You're stuck with the emo." Shikamaru smirked. "And the fangirl."

Naruto merely seethed. Great, just great, now that he thought about it maybe Kiba would not have been so bad.

After all the names were read and things settled down some of the teams were gathering up together. Naruto frowned down at the first row where two of his teammates already were. Sakura was already trying to get Sasuke's attention and fawning over the dark haired Uchiha. This was a bad situation to be going into. Sakura loved Sasuke, Sasuke loved himself. Ever since the big 'massacre' the dark haired boy had become unapproachable. He acted like he was better than everyone in the class and was constantly moping or seething, Naruto could not tell which.

Course that was nothing unusual, Sasuke had always been somewhat unapproachable. Being from a big Clan must have made him feel important. To have lost all that….

Naruto watched as a familiar face came to the room. He knew he must have taken on a devilish look because the scruffy bearded man raised an eyebrow in his direction. _"Hello Asuma-san…." _

Naruto still could not pass up the chance to torment a few of the other Ninja around the village and Asuma was target number one when he started getting out of the apartment. It was not that hard to figure out what would get the man's goat as much as those precious cigarettes of his so he naturally went for them…a lot.

He saw the man's hand dart for the pocket he knew he kept a pack and kept it there as he called out for Shikamaru's team. Naruto grinned even more. Now he had accomplices for later pranks against the bearded Sarutobi.

One by one team seemed to filter out of the room till only he, Sakura, and Sasuke remained. Naruto groaned and laid his head on the desk in front of him.

"I can't believe we got stuck with him."

Naruto glared over his arms at Sakura, babbling away at Sasuke's side. Sasuke had his arms propped up in front of him glaring at the blackboard. What way to go about this? Play the idiot or play the put off joker….

"You're not the only one pissed about this." Naruto finally snarled in their general direction.

"Should count yourself lucky." Sasuke snorted. "Still don't know how you passed but you did something didn't you?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Naruto grinned evilly down at him. Honestly he was never, ever, going to discuss what had happened to anyone but he knew he had taken on a Chuunin in a forest and out fisted him. The Kage Bushin were what Kakashi referred to as his trump card. Other Genin would not immediately know how to do what he had done.

"Ugh, dobe."

"Emo."

"HEY! Don't call Sasuke that…"

Naruto merely went back to napping. He had woken very early and he did not want to deal with either of them until he had to. He'd have to meet up with Choji and Shikamaru after their team had their first meeting and see if they had reconsidered his offer of trading.

Minutes ticked by and then an hour. Naruto was going to have to start doing things to the room to stop the boredom. He was already looking around idly looking for something good when the door finally did open a last time.

"You guys must be Team 7."

Naruto blinked and blinked but it was the same outcome.

"_No way……" _

"Meet me on the roof."

And then he was gone. Oh this was wicked. Naruto quickly jumped up and began clambering out the window. Screw the stairs; he'd get up there faster outside. He was surprised to find Sasuke doing the same. He growled, tried climbing faster, but the Uchiha still passed him by. Both of them came to the roof and sat around on the stairs while Sakura finally came up the old fashioned way.

Kakashi sat on one of the rails looking rather bored and unconvinced. He took to looking at each one of them before sighing, crossing his arms in front of him.

"_This is how he acts around Gai-sensei." _Naruto pondered while the Jounin seemed to be deciding what to do with the three of them. _"So we're supposed to act like we don't know each other. Still this is so awesome. I've never seen Nii-san fight before…I don't think I've ever seen him train!" _

"Alright let's start with introductions shall we?"

"Introductions? Well what should we say?" Sakura queried after glancing through the three of them.

"Oh you know, likes, dislikes, dreams for the future, hobbies, that sort of thing."

Naruto smirked happily to himself. This was EXACTLY how Kakashi-sensei acted towards Gai-sensei. He was going to weed them out. _"Oh it's on Nii-san. I'm not like Gai….I'm worse." _

"So why don't you go first, huh _**Sensei.**_ Show us how it's done."

Kakashi and he stared at one another for a while before the older man sighed, leaned back and began to think on the matter.

"My name is Hatake Kakashi, my likes and dislikes, not really your business is it? I haven't really thought about the future, and as to my hobbies I have a lot of them."

"_Reading mostly…." _

"Your turn Blondie."

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto, I Love ramen, hate stuck up jerks," he smirked evilly to his left. "My one big hobby is growing plants..." he saw Sakura's head jerk his way at that one, good surprise them more. "And as for my dream for the future…."

Naruto had been thinking about this for a day or so now. He did not want people to look at him and feel fear or hatred. It was almost impossible right? There was really no way he could do that without some sort of miracle. Except….

His head turned behind him to the great mountain behind the Hokage's Tower. Four faces adorned the mountain and each one instilled great pride. That was the role of the Hokage, to protect and instill the village with hope. He wanted nothing more than to protect this village, despite there being so few who would want to protect him.

"Is to be Hokage."

* * *

**Author note X2.: **This one is slightly shorter than the others, yeah I know. *hides away extra angst bunny* but we all know what happens here...that much does not change. Now the tricky part. Yes little things here and there change in each little arc; one action has a wide spread reaction down the line. Wave would be the next up. Or Chuunin Exam. I've not yet decided which should be the next. Definitely doing the Chuunin just wondering if worth it to do the Wave arc.

Oh who am I kidding…. Probably be both. *holds up the angst bunny* and this little monster has been gnawing at me (Missing Moments might be a little insert here and there…scraps not long enough to be chapters and did not seem to FIT in any of the chapters so there might be interludes ;) . .. And ZOMG I found English Dubbed Shippuuden episodes online..Sweet mother of all that is holy. Giimmme!!!!


	5. Crashing Waves

**The Fox and the Hound**

Chapter 4:Crashing Waves

**Chapter Summary:**Naruto has become a Genin and stepped into the Ninja world for real. Can he get along with his new teammates and can he keep up his mask while trying not to get killed. Let's find out shall we.

**Author Note:**Yeah I figured I'd end up with both of em. I can't resist. And for all you Riri fans out there, kawaii! I will say this though, sometimes having set guidelines of what should happen kinda makes it harder to write...sunava XD. Oh well it is a fun little exploration.

* * *

"Hokage?"

Naruto looked up from the couch he had been napping on for a good couple of hours before Kakashi came back to their apartment. What an anti-climatic day. They met their 'sensei' and he had prodded them into a little Q&A, more than likely to get a feel for their personalities, and then had turned them loose, saying they had another test early the next morning.

The older man was now standing over the couch looking down at Naruto like he had grown another head. Naruto knew Kakashi was going to have something to say about that part of his 'introduction' speech.

"Honestly?"

"Yes." Naruto sat up and pointed out the windows to the same visage he always looked to. "I mean think about it, who's the one person in the village everyone trusts and believes in? It isn't the Jounin or the Sannin it's the Hokage."

"You know that whole talk we had about not caring about what others think or say…" Kakashi was rubbing at the bridge of his nose. "That is a HUGE undertaking Naruto."

"When has that stopped me?" Naruto smirked up at Kakashi. "And I don't mean right now, Nii-san. I know it's gonna take forever but it's something isn't it?"

Kakashi merely sighed and nodded his head. Oh it was something alright. He had nearly fallen backwards off the rail he had been using as a prop earlier when Naruto had spouted of his 'dream for the future'. Naruto's new teammates had promptly rebuked him and started calling him a freak.

"Anyway if I can become Hokage that means you gotta call me boss."

Kakashi reached down and pushed the kid to a lying position on the couch again. "Oh you'd like that wouldn't you?"

"Love it!" Naruto began laughing in earnest as Kakashi moved away on his own agenda. "Hell I gotta call you 'sensei' don't I?"

"I must say you picked up on that a little faster than I thought you would." Kakashi came back into view, Ririshii in his grasp, the German shepherd looking at him with wary eyes as the older man held him by the scruff.

"Well you were acting like you do when Gai-sensei comes around. I figured that meant something. I bet the Hokage pulled a lotta strings to get me on your team." Naruto sat up and glanced at Riri then up to Kakashi. "What are you doing to him?"

"You are correct, technically I have an unbalanced team but one most suited for the tasks I usually get sent on. The three of you are the top of the class in different areas. Not to mention Asuma and Kurenai wanted to make an issue out of it."

"Oh yeah right. Asuma doesn't want me within a ten-foot radius." Naruto beamed happily. "Though I will have to get Choji and Shikamaru to help me now…"

"You won't have time." Kakashi rebuked. "As for your mutt here."

"HEY!" Riri snapped a little.

"You must make a decision." Kakashi released the dog and Riri clambered over to the relative safety of Naruto's person. "Ririshii is not a summons from my Nin-dog Contract. I've looked but there is not an instance of him nor does a summon stay up for four years. You've somehow or another created a familiar."

Naruto and Ririshii blinked at one another then both produced their own smiles. "Awesome."

"Riri is a decent sized animal; he's intelligent enough to learn to speak, so that makes him an equivalent of an Inuzuka Wolf or Dog. It also makes him ideal to be trained to be of use." Kakashi pointed at the dog and then to Naruto. "Or would you rather him stay behind every time you are away?"

Naruto reached out and grabbed the scruff of the animal tightly and shook his head no. Kakashi tossed a spare headband at Naruto and propped himself up against the wall opposite of the two. Naruto grinned and promptly tied the object around Riri's neck, creating a collar for the dog that had been living with them for four years. It fit the animal, Kakashi had to admit.

"Good, bring him with you tomorrow."

"Won't the others…"

"I told you three to come ready to fight for your survival didn't I?" Kakashi pointed out. "You are bringing, as many would see him, a weapon with you. I know you see Riri as more than that, I am not saying that, but others see Familiars and Summons as weapons. Most see ninja as weapons."

"Tools for the Hokage to use." Naruto muttered a bit. "Never liked that saying…"

"That brings me to the next portion of this lecture."

"Ah, I figured it was one of those." Naruto scratched at his head and frowned.

"No more pretending."

Naruto froze and locked eyes with Kakashi. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Kakashi already said he had done good for picking up on needing to pretend he did not know his brother, why now was he saying no more pretend…._"Oh shit." _

"You obviously know more than you let on. You were able to get in to the Tower, at night, and steal away a scroll that is under heavy protections, more so now that you were able to get your hands on it. No more pretending Naruto. It will only drag the team down and get you, and them, killed. This isn't the academy anymore."

"Nii-san…"

"Naruto, I understand it, trust me I do." Kakashi subconsciously fingered the edge of his mask and looked away. "But if you are serious about this dream of yours, then the time to start is now."

Naruto nodded but still grabbed the scruff of Riri nearby. He was going to have to let drop all the goofy acting and actually step up and put into practice what was merely theory. Great, Sasuke and Sakura were going to have a heyday with that once they figured it out.

"I can think of no better way to make him recognize you than to knock him down a few pegs." Kakashi was headed out the door again, waving as he went. Naruto blinked and watched after him. He had a really good point did he not? Sasuke was so sure of his superiority because no one ever stepped up to challenge him. Maybe…maybe Naruto should be that person.

He began to grin and plot in his head. Tomorrow maybe was not going to be such a bad day after all.

* * *

The next morning Naruto went blurring through the village to the spot Kakashi had told them to meet. Beside him Riri kept a happy pace beside him, tongue lolled out of the side of his mouth, his long legs blurring beneath him. Naruto and he had discussed it at length the other night and both were sure this was what they wanted. Though Riri was completely behind in terms of use, he had promised to be a quick study and find a way to be useful. Naruto already believed the dog useful, had he not flung himself at attackers when Naruto had only just summoned him? Had he not learned to speak and found him before anyone else?

As he came to the bridge and across it he saw Sasuke already there, standing with his back to everything. He merely looked over his shoulder, raised an eyebrow at Naruto and Riri and then went back to staring into nothingness. Naruto sat down nearby and took up scratching Riri comfortingly. It was not long until Sakura arrived.

"Good morning Sasuke! How…" she stopped though and blinked at Naruto. "Uh, Naruto what's with the dog?"

"This is Ririshii!" Naruto beamed a bit. "I figured I bring him along."

"Idiot." Sasuke muttered again looking over hunched shoulders at him.

"What good is a dog going to do you?" Sakura pointed out. "Or do you think he's going to be like Akamaru?"

"_Nope way better than Akamaru already." _Naruto thought as he began digging in his bag. He finally found the apple he was looking for and began to happily munch away.

"What are you doing!? He told us not to eat breakfast!" Sakura began wailing. Naruto merely reached back in and produced two more apples and waited to see if either of them would take them. "No way, if you want to get sent back to the academy go for it."

"What? Like he's going to know about it." Naruto laughed a little. "I'm betting he's going to be late just like he was yesterday. If we don't eat we're going to be distracted and hungry…"

Silently Sasuke snagged one of the apples and began doing as Naruto, eating. The hunch in his shoulders seemed to have loosened a little and Naruto smiled a bit. Good, this was working so far. Sakura seemed torn between the two emotions of being right and following the rules set forth or doing as Sasuke had done. Naruto already heard her stomach growling so he knew she was hungry….

Finally she took it and Naruto grinned at her. She kind of smiled back but then went about going after Sasuke, who was effectively ignoring them all again.

Just like Naruto predicted Kakashi was late. It was now midmorning and the other two were getting restless. Naruto himself wanted to go off and explore a bit, get a feel of the training ground they were in but knew to do so would draw attention from his teammates.

Riri came up from his resting spot, ears straight and perked up in a particular direction. All three of them took notice and sure enough Kakashi came strolling up the path. He looked well rested and in no particular hurry.

"You're LATE!" Sakura accused loudly, pointing up at the Jounin. Honestly what kind of Jounin was late to everything? Not only did she draw the dobe of the class they had a lazy Jounin instructor.

"Sorry about that. A black cat crossed my path and I had to take the long way."

"Wha!" Sakura was gaping and about to say more but Kakashi walked right past them to a post and set down a timer.

"Let's get started shall we?" He pressed the timer button down and smiled. "It's set for noon." He then reached into his pocket and produced two bells. Naruto watched transfixed. What kind of survival test was this? "You have until noon to get a bell from me. That's all there is to it. If you can't get them by noon you'll go without lunch. You'll be tied to these posts and I'll eat my lunch in front of you."

"_HA!" _Naruto silently celebrated. _"I knew there was a reason behind it!" _

"But Sensei, there's only two bells and three of us." Sakura pointed out.

"Oh that's so that one of you is tied to the post and disqualified. That one goes back to the academy. Of course all three of you could flunk out too. You can use any weapons or skill against me. If you do not come at me with the intent to kill, you will not get a bell."

"_No way…that's impossible. He's a Jounin and a former ANBU. There's no way to get a bell from him. Unless we take him by surprise…."_

Naruto went with his thought and flung out a kunai, ready to go. He had not even blinked when he found his hand trapped behind his head with the kunai pointed at the back of his head. Kakashi's hand was on top of his head and the other gripping his wrist tightly.

"I didn't even say start yet."

Each one of them stared down the Jounin while he gripped Naruto. None of them had seen him move. He finally released his hold on the boy and he jumped away.

"Okay get ready then…..start."

Naruto took to the trees and Riri he felt was right along with him on the ground. Their survival test was surviving against Kakashi. But that did not make any sense. There was no one way that a Genin up against a Jounin would work. It was odd. There was something wrong with this.

"_Okay what do we know for sure? Two bells, three of us. He's got the bells around his core which is hard to strike at if he knows how to defend himself, and he certainly does. He always fails Genin cells, I found that book once and thought it was his family tree, it was his record book. He always fails Genin cells…which only points further towards the 'it's impossible' category.."_

Naruto came to a halt and began to search out the other players. Kakashi stayed out in the open, no surprise, the three of them were little threat to him. Sakura was not too far away, crouching in bushes and Sasuke had done as Naruto and taken to the trees. They were all spread out so Kakashi would have to come to each individual one to weed them out. But Naruto highly doubted he would do so. Kakashi would stand their patiently and wait for them to come to him.

"_We're missing something here…._" Naruto growled. Then something clicked in his head. Wait that was it! "Riri-san, get up here I have an idea."

The dog came flying up at him and obediently listened. Once Naruto was finished Riri darted off into the woods and began moving towards the Jounin in the center of the field. Naruto waited and waited till finally Riri went flying for Kakashi. As predicted Kakashi easily dodged the animal but created an opening for Naruto and he went down to use it. And was promptly deflected into the water.

"_Damn Nii-san is fast, very fast._" Naruto growled as he started making clones. Numbers, numbers had to be at play here. But that was the trick; neither Sakura or Sasuke would listen to him and think he was trying to get a bell by using them. _ "Three of us, one of him. How do I make them see that…?"_

He let all the clones go out of the water first then took the long way around. Kakashi focused in on the clones. Naruto finally got himself latched on to the Jounin's back but already had a pretty good idea what Kakashi was going to pull. He let it happen though and darted away in the scuffle of all the clones to see if he could find where the Jounin went.

Instead one of his clones got caught by the trap Kakashi had laid. But it had the desired effect. Kakashi came out to admonish him. Naruto waited as he talked with the clone. Without warning a volley of shuriken went flying at the Jounin. Naruto instinctively almost took a step out to stop them but stopped himself. Like his attack before, Kakashi used a substitution jutsu and a log dropped to the ground.

Riri came slinking up behind Naruto and crouched down beside him.

"Kakashi-sama is fast." He panted.

"Hai, which is why we need to find Sakura." Naruto smiled a bit. "You find her Riri, tell her we need to work together or we aren't going to trap him."

"Sure she will listen?"

"You're a talking dog Riri, of course she will." Naruto beamed. "Hurry up, I'm gonna go see how bad Sasuke gets beat on."

Naruto waited for the dog to take off then moved in the same direction Sasuke was now moving in. His attack had given away his previous position and the last of the Uchiha clan had predictably moved. Naruto stopped short of where Sasuke stood, finding Kakashi standing there reading one of his make out books.

Not only was the Jounin baiting them, he was insulting them.

"_All the more reason it's a fluke. The test isn't can we get a bell it's can we work together towards a goal. He's doing everything he can to make us fight over the bells." _

Naruto straightened up as Sasuke went full force for Kakashi. For his credit, the dark-haired boy actually fingered one of the bells before he and Kakashi parted and stood staring at one another. Okay, Sasuke was the one that could get the bells. Naruto and Sakura could serve as diversions as long as Riri could convince the girl to join them.

Then Sasuke went and did something stupid. He started going through hand seals, ending with the Tiger and put his fingers in an odd way around his mouth. Kakashi seemed to be muttering to himself about Genin not being able to do something like that but disappeared just as Sasuke began breathing out a large stream of fire.

"_Okay that's pretty cool…I gotta admit." _

But that left Sasuke open. Naruto flew down and knocked the Uchiha off his balance and into the surrounding brush just as a hand came flying out of the ground to snag Sasuke.

"What the hell you idiot…"

"Oh get over yourself," Naruto pointed behind him and saw Sasuke relax a bit. "You were about to be buried, I just saved your butt. Now listen. We're not going to beat him…"

"Maybe you're not loser, but I'm…"

"And everyone thinks I'm the idiot." Naruto sighed heavily and produced a clone. He sent it to its death and glared at Sasuke. "What happens when we go at him one by one? He just toys with us."

Sasuke and he watched as the clone Naruto had used met the same end and how quickly Kakashi went to hiding. The Jounin was aware that Naruto was probably catching on and needed to keep up appearances.

"You got your finger on a bell but he quickly knocked you back. You need a diversion."

"And you want to be the diversion? What you want me to get them both and give you one?" Sasuke sneered.

"No, I could care less about the bell. But we do have to find Sakura." Naruto frowned. He knew it was going to be hard but Sasuke was hell bent on doing this solo. Sasuke was still focused on the perimeters.

"Here" Riri came up, drawing Sasuke's eye too him. Behind him Sakura came up, a sheepish look on her face. Once she saw the two of them though, she quickly turned on Naruto.

"You're stupid dog bit me…and then he started talking."

"Genjutsu." Riri growled back. Naruto laughed, Kakashi must have caught Sakura in a Genjutsu and Riri had done the only thing he could think of to rouse her from the stupor.

"So now we're all together, what do we want to do to get a bell?"

"You idiot, you saw there were only two of them right?" Sakura berated him and put her hands on her hips.

"Right. He's also baiting us, what's that tell you Forehead?" Naruto gleamed, using Ino's nickname. It earned him a hard slap in the shoulder but it must have finally clicked something in place for Sasuke.

"It's not about the bells." Sasuke muttered darkly and began scouting around them.

"So, I'll ask again. What do we want to do to him to get a bell?" Naruto grinned devilishly.

"You're the prankster, what do you suggest?" Sakura still was not as convinced as Sasuke.

Naruto merely grinned.

* * *

"_Okay now where have they gone?" _Kakashi thought as he paged through to Chapter 8 of Make out Paradise. It was the best chapter after all. He still had part of his attention on the three Genin but was not that particularly worried about the three getting a bell in the half hour or so they had left.

Of course he had not heard one peep out of any of them in about thirty minutes. Which was off, they should at least still be trying shouldn't they?

"_Naruto became literal with the clones." _Kakashi thought as his confrontations with the boy had resulted mainly in hitting clones. Very well made clones, he had to admit, but clones. Only once so far had Riri come at him and the dog had learned to stay away. "_So what did Naruto glean from his pushing buttons?" _

He glanced around and found he was still comfortably alone and went back to assessing the three.

"_The girl is useless as it stands. She is smart, no one can deny her, but she's blind. A Genjutsu that light should not be that hard to break once you realize what it is." _Kakashi frowned. Of the three of them the girl held the least amount of promise, with her fawning over the Uchiha heir she was completely focused on him and nothing else. "_And him…" _

Kakashi had to admit that Uchiha Sasuke was exactly how he looked on paper. The kid had come at him full force and, because Kakashi had assumed no threat, the boy had fingered a bell. He had the talent and the skill it was just his attitude that worried Kakashi. There was that dream of Sasuke's to worry about as well…to kill a certain man. Kakashi could readily say that man's name in steed and knew why the boy was so obsessed over that particular mission.

But to be an Avenger….

Kakashi felt the air move around him and he ducked another volley of shuriken. Sasuke. So far the Uchiha was the only one to use weapons against Kakashi, it had to be him. He turned and sure enough the dark-haired youth was trying a different approach. He sighed a bit but met the boy blow for boy, until a small smirk crept across the boy's face.

"_Well that's not right. What's he so happy about?" _

Then he felt a tug at his free hand, the one he held his book in. Without warning Riri had the object in his mouth and was darting away towards the brush. Kakashi turned to follow the dog's path and then remembered Sasuke, turning just in time to deflect the boy's reach but found another hand coming from behind. Sakura's fingers barely grasped the object but it was enough to cause the bell to ring tauntingly. Kakashi moved to engage her, maybe to test her taijutsu and keep Sasuke angered but then a third entered the equation and this time they were successful.

And just as they had the bell from the timer went off and Kakashi sighed. One moment's distraction had cost him dearly. He glared at Naruto, happily ringing both bells in his hands. The boy had used his own knowledge to distract Kakashi, but how had he done so and convinced the other two? From all observation and how Naruto talked about them, they thought Naruto of little use to them.

"Well then," Kakashi straightened and took in trio, all standing together. Riri came out and came behind Naruto, clutching the book in his mouth. "Since Naruto got both bells I suppose he decides who goes back."

Naruto neatly flicked one bell to Sasuke and one to Sakura. Both blinked at the objects and then Sasuke tossed his back to Naruto. "It was your idea dobe."

"Yeah but you're the one keeping him on his toes." Naruto tossed it back to the dark haired youth.

Sakura proceeded to toss hers back to the blonde. "Well I didn't really do anything."

"Yeah but your smarter than I am…"

Kakashi finally snagged a bell flying in the semi-triangle around him as they all fought over who should go back. So they figured it out. "So none of you go back then?"

"We figured we'd ransom you this book" Naruto patted Riri on the head. "For the chance that all three of us pass."

"What makes you think that I would do that?"

"Oh, well if not, go ahead Riri. Have to warn you Sensei, Riri ate a lot of homework when I was a kid, loves paper…"

Riri made good on the threat and bit down a little into the leather cover.

"No wait…fine…" Kakashi balked and snagged the book as soon as the dog loosened his grip. "I suppose I should applaud that you realized you had something I wanted. I guess you three pass."

"Well it's obvious." Sasuke snorted a bit but smirked slightly towards Naruto who was positively happy with himself.

Kakashi grinned a little bit and nodded as he placed the book back into his pouch. He had known the moment they started tossing the bells around that they understood the exercise. But who had prompted the realization? Then something finally caught his eye.

"You all don't look too hungry, maybe I should keep lunch."

Naruto was walking back towards the posts, hands clasped behind his neck and arms up. The other two just shrugged and looked at each other as if it did not matter. Kakashi noted that when he threatened them at the beginning that neither had reacted in the suspected way and he turned again to Naruto, who was now twirling the core of an eaten apple in his hand.

"Ah one of you snuck in food."

"Doesn't do us any good if we're starving, Sensei, we're no good if we're weak. Figured a little snack wouldn't hurt." Naruto plopped down and began digging through his bag again. "So when we start missions?"

Kakashi sighed a bit and acted put off but really he had to applaud the blonde. Naruto had inadvertently realized he needed to make nice with his teammates and had, Kakashi assumed since neither seemed too put off by the 'no-lunch' ploy, shared his breakfast. That opened the door for when he finally needed to come to either one with his plan about the bells.

Kakashi still saw little bits of his goofy roommate but he was seeing improvement. Naruto would not threaten the lives of his teammates. He would keep to this new goal of his of protecting others. He shrugged and let the three congregate and talk. Maybe they would work well together.

Maybe it was okay to finally have a team of his own. It had been so long since he belonged to a team…it was almost kind of nice to feel he had that again. It would be nice to have others around for missions.

Of course the best laid intentions usually backfired.

Kakashi frowned as the three had their hundredth argument over their current mission. It had been a few weeks and though they had their moments most of the time was spent bickering. It was usually two on two fights; Sasuke and his ever present shadow versus Naruto and Ririshii.

Like it was today. Sakura was convinced that Naruto could have made the mission so much easier because of Riri….

"Cat and Dog, Pinky." Riri growled in the girl's general direction as they made their way back to the woman with her precious cat, Tora. Even now the cat was hissing and glaring in Riri's general direction. Kakashi found Riri's comment quite fitting to both situations. They fought like cats and dogs.

"Just because Ririshii can talk doesn't mean he can just waltz up to a cat and say hey, your owner's looking for you." Naruto frowned as the cat made spectacular line patterns on his arms. Usually it was Naruto who got the grunt work of these missions and Kakashi wondered why he had not taken his earlier enthusiasm to stand up for himself against Sasuke, who acted like the boss of the three of them.

"_Minato-sensei, you're watching and laughing aren't you? This is your revenge isn't it?" _Kakashi wondered idly as they finally made it back and the woman paid them. In all reality Kakashi could clearly see the parallel between himself as he was and Sasuke. He could see Rin's starry-eyed devotion and Naruto….. "_Obito." _

That was probably the Third Hokage's true intentions with setting up this particular team. The Third was a good man but sometimes he was not too subtle with his gestures and Kakashi frowned at the thought of it. This was not the old man keeping he and Naruto together, though there was that added benefit, it was him giving Kakashi a second chance of sorts. Kakashi also knew before this year that he would end up with the Uchiha heir no matter his feelings on the matter. After what Itachi had done there was no one else in the village with the Sharingan except for Kakashi. He would be maneuvered into a place of teaching the boy by one elder or another and that would be the end of it. At least this way the Third had given him some choice.

And Kakashi had to admit he was curious as to when Sasuke was going to stumble upon the eye. Kakashi had seen parallels between Sasuke and Obito that made him think Sasuke had been trying to awaken the eye of his Clan but had been unsuccessful so far.

As they came back to the mission room to report their success Kakashi caught a look from the Hokage and he cringed silently. He honestly did not think them ready for a bump up but they had completed the number of D ranks required and something must have come in. That meant someone was pressing for them to be tested. Great, a few weeks and they were already in the middle of 'testing' the Uchiha.

"Very good on your last completion." The Third appraised the situation. "We have one more mission for the day, a C-rank…"

At the mention of the Rank all three somewhat perked up and focused in on what the Hokage was telling them. Naruto himself looked about ready to burst from the excitement.

"An escort for a bridge builder to the Land of Wave." The Third handed out the scroll to Kakashi who took the scroll and read it over once. Not a hard C-Rank, just standard protection from the usual bandits and highwaymen for a bridge builder. Okay this was not a disaster yet.

"You'll leave in the morning."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Kakashi nodded and turned to leave. "I will meet you three at the gates."

He heard Naruto's predictable "I wonder what time he'll get there…" Kakashi smiled, they at least all agreed on that one thing. And Naruto was very good at acting.

Kakashi waited until the three parted ways and then came up behind Naruto on their way home. The blonde and his dog did not flinch or react in anyway and the three of them continued on in silence. He could tell Naruto was excited but the boy was doing well to keep those thoughts to himself.

"Surprised?" Kakashi finally prodded.

"It'll be just as boring as the other ones but hey at least its higher than D." Naruto kind of shrugged. It was an outright lie but it was fun to see him at least try to act calm and collected.

* * *

Things just were never as they seemed anymore.

Kakashi passed the puddle with little fanfare but mentally had noted it and the object's location. Odd, the road seemed perfectly dry save for that one little spot and he had not seen a cloud in the sky. Great, what was just a simple escort mission for a builder as he finished a bridge was about to shoot up in difficulty.

Though he almost laughed as Ririshii, still proudly wearing his leaf headband as a collar, waltzed right up to the puddle and began lapping at its edges. Good, just like any animal that was too stupid to realize what it was doing, Riri was getting a 'drink'. And if Riri had realized the object, then Naruto must have as well.

Subconsciously he had taken up the back of the group, consisting of himself and the three Genin he now possessively called 'his' and the bridge builder assigned to their protection. For most of the trip up to this point, Naruto and the Bridge Builder named Tazuna had been having a contest of wills of sorts. Kakashi was sure that the man's stature and his habit, a.k.a. the drinking he had been doing when they first met, had put Naruto in a defensive mood almost immediately.

Which had also put Tazuna in an odd mood; it was almost like the old man enjoyed toying with Naruto.

Sakura and Sasuke had been quietly observing or pointing things out to their 'slower' teammate and so far Kakashi had relaxed. But now….

"_Who are they after us or him?" _Kakashi pondered as they went past the puddle and Naruto whistled loudly to his mutt. Riri scrambled to catch back up, dark expressive brown eyes looking to him for a moment before rejoining Naruto at his hip. _"Good dog, once we get you up to speed you'll be an excellent Nin-Dog." _

Without warning the ninja sprung. Chains came wrapping around his body and squeezed. Kakashi flinched as he heard Sakura panicking when he supposedly was 'killed'. Wow he had to really step it up with her; she was going to be the one to worry about. For her credit though she did take up the defensive stance in front of the Bridge Builder, but would she react properly when one of their attackers came to her directly?

Riri and Naruto spread out looped behind and Sasuke started taking aim with kunai. At one point Sasuke had one of the Chuunin trapped by his own chains and was attacking from that front. From the looks of it they were Mist Ninja, but clear out here? The other one was headed straight for Sakura and Tazuna. He lashed out with one of his fist weapons and was met with Naruto who somehow or another gotten in front of the pink-haired girl before the weapon had hit. Naruto deflected it with a kunai but not before one of the claw like appendages reached out and left a trail on his hand.

As the Mist Nin went to recover, Riri leapt up and snagged the man by his wrist, biting down forcibly enough to cause the man to snarl in pain and for it to make an audible 'crunch'. It only made Riri growl more and forcibly shake the man to the ground as Naruto came forward to meet him head on.

Sasuke by this point was getting his trapped by a tree using his own chains. The boy did have talent, he could see it clearly. Naruto was doing well to keep his forced to the ground. Then he saw the look shared between the two as they grinned/stared at one another across the road. Oh it had turned into a competition had it?

Kakashi came from hiding, earning him a shocked and awe reaction from Sakura and mere grins from the other two. "Good work you two, I apologize Sakura, I did not mean to scare you."

"But…you…"

"Oh come on, he's pulled that trick on us how many times now?" Sasuke muttered and stepped away as Kakashi appraised their situation. Two Chuunin-level Mist Nins and they both had made moves towards the Bridge Builder. That was concerning.

This one was glaring at him, the other had gone limp and Riri had released his hold. Naruto sat there looking rather confused but Kakashi was not that surprised that the Chuunin had done what he had. Whoever had hired them to come for Tazuna had to be a step higher and more fearsome than to risk being caught.

"Why did you…" Tazuna was sputtering nearby. "Why'd you let the kids take care of this?"

"Hey!" Both Naruto and Sasuke snapped in retaliation. From Kakashi's point of view the 'kids' had done well enough without him.

"Because I had to see what they were after." Kakashi speared the bridge builder with a look. Tazuna promptly stepped back a few steps and began to sweat a bit under his hat. "Were they ninja after ninja or were they after the Master Bridge Builder?"

"The builder." Both Naruto and Sasuke muttered to themselves but were heard by all. Again Tazuna swallowed hard and kept his eyes locked with Kakashi.

"When you put in your request, you were asking for the standard protection from robbers and highwaymen. We were to get you safely to Wave and then protect you as you finished the bridge. However, you forgot to mention there were ninja after you. Had we known this it would have been a B rank at the least and staffed accordingly. You may have your reasons Mr. Tazuna, but lying to us is not acceptable."

The sounds of birds echoing in the trees hung around them, creating an almost calm before the storm. Kakashi and Tazuna continued to stare at one another while the Bridge Builder squirmed. He heard a yelp of surprise and watched Sakura fade a few shades. Behind him Naruto had taken his kunai to his hand.

"What the hell is wrong with you?! Are you some kind of masochist or what?" Sakura was yelling at Naruto as Naruto neatly pulled the weapon back out and let the blood trickle down his hand. "You idiot!"

"Their claws were probably poisoned." Kakashi muttered watching as well.

"What? You mean." She blinked at Naruto who was quietly bringing out a roll of gauze from his bag, neatly going about taking care of his own problem. Naruto let the wound bleed a bit more but from where he stood Kakashi could clearly see the edges of the wound already getting smaller. Even as Naruto wrapped up the offending hand Kakashi knew that the wound would not bleed anymore.

Kakashi and the Third assumed that the reason Naruto always seemed to bounce back so quickly from injuries was because of his tenant and his chakra. The fox was a demon sure, but even asleep in the seal it would not wish to die because of the careless actions of its host.

"We're just Genin we should go back, and this is beyond us." Sakura began to say, eying Naruto as she did. "And Naruto's hand."

Naruto proceeded to jump up and smirk at her. "Good as new, so we going or what?"

"Wha…you can't…"

"You idiot."

"Whelp looks like that settles that." Kakashi murmured and smirked a little. "Let's go before more catch up to us."

He knew the bridge builder had reason to lie, and as it was, he was sure that Tazuna would tell them but for now this was their mission and he highly doubted neither Naruto or Sasuke would agree to abandon it, despite the failure to disclose all the details.

"That's it no questions?"

"For now." Kakashi eyed Tazuna as he passed him and moved forward. "But we will require some sort of explanation for our report…"

Naruto, Riri and Sasuke quickly fell in line, putting themselves in a semi-circle around the builder. Sakura finally caught up but kept herself somewhat closer to Kakashi now. Kakashi did not have the heart to tell her that was the worst position because whoever they sent for the builder next was not going to be Chuunin, it would be Jounin and the Jounin would not even toy with the Genin. They would come straight for Kakashi if they were of a mind and had a bingo book.

"So dobe, when'd you learn to do all of that?" Sasuke began teasing as they went on their way, leaving behind the Mist Chuunin who decided to end their lives than face retribution. Such was the way of things.

"Maybe I'm just awesome and you all don't know it." Naruto stuck his tongue out at his teammate. "Someone had to protect Sakura-chan. You just ditched her…"

"HEY!"

"Oh whatever, your dog isn't so useless either." Sasuke pointed out and grinned mockingly. "Maybe we should replace you with Riri full time."

"Wha….oh like he would! Riri's with me…"

"Hai, with Naruto." Riri barked which earned Tazuna's attention.

"The dog can talk?"

"You'll find Naruto full of surprises."

* * *

As the days grew on Kakashi only became more wary. Sooner or later the Jounin hired for this particular mission would show him or herself and this would be a new ballgame. And he was here with not one but about four potential targets.

Sakura would do as told, the boys? Not probable that they would but he could hope for it. So far their first little spat across the water had spurred on a new thing between the two: competition. In some ways that was good in others it was bad.

The Bridge Builder had explained the reasoning behind all the deception, Kakashi had understood it, but it still left him in a situation that was not ideal. Three kids, a dog and an old bridge builder. And who knew what Mist Ninja would show themselves next.

As they went through the forests towards, Kakashi hoped, the Bridge Builder's village and home Ririshii darted off somewhere. Naruto watched him go but was quickly deflected by Sasuke's ever present pushing.

"Need a leash for him?"

"Shut it Sasuke…."

Kakashi was curious as well but kept his attention more broad. There had to be more. If Tazuna had felt threatened enough to lie to the higher ups of Konoha about his predicament there had to be more of Ninja somewhere.

Riri lopped back into view, just behind Kakashi. In his mouth the German shepherd held by the scruff a white rabbit. Was the animal hungry? Kakashi was not even sure the dog could hunt in that capacity but apparently he could but why not just kill the rabbit…why was he bringing it back….

"_Wait, that's a snow hare." _Kakashi came to attention and patted the dog's head quietly. "_And its fur is white. They only have white fur in the winter when the days are short. This one was bred. For a replacement technique." _Kakashi began to glance around knowing without a doubt they now had an audience.

When the air finally moved, Kakashi called out for them all to hit the ground and was glad they did not question him. Just as he had a huge sword went vaulting through the air and embedded in a tree just ahead of them. Kakashi straightened immediately. Well this was turning into a disaster, just as he had feared.

"You three stay with the bridge builder." He barked out to the three Genin, still recovering from the sudden change in atmosphere. "Do not interfere."

As predicted, Naruto was first to move and did not listen. Kakashi stopped him from getting too far though and growled at the boy. "You're in the way, get back."

That struck a mark and the blonde slowly retreated from him, almost taken aback. Kakashi continued to stare up at the man ahead of them. The headband was clearly from Mist and the features of the tall man spoke volumes. This was Momochi Zabuza, the Devil of the Mist. Naturally his hand traveled up to his headband and clutched momentarily at the cloth.

"Ah, so Kakashi of the Sharingan." The man stared down at Kakashi from his perch on his sword. The gravelly voice was meant to put off and intimidate attackers. "Did I get that right?"

Kakashi heard the little start from behind him and knew it was Sasuke. Of all of them only Sasuke would understand his unofficial nickname.

"It's too bad, but you'll have to hand over the old man."

At that admission the Genin put themselves in a defensive formation around the bridge builder. Good they did not need prodding in that sense. Zabuza looked on as Kakashi finally lifted the headband from his left eye.

All three Genin could not help but stare on, especially Naruto.

"_He's always got that eye covered. It's got a scar over it, I always thought he was blind in that eye and didn't want anyone to say anything…."  
"He called him Kakashi of the Sharingan eye. That's impossible…Isn't it?"  
"Does he have some kind of special power?" _

"Well now, I guess I get to see the Sharingan in action." Zabuza turned to finally face Kakashi head on. "This is an honor."

"What the hell…" Naruto muttered finally seeing the red orb underneath Kakashi's headband. He was aware that Sasuke had tensed up and seemed kind of phased but other than that this did not help his confusion. "Are they going on about?"

"It's a bloodline trait…" Sasuke ground out through gritted teeth. "A rare power granted…"

"A kekkai genkai?" Naruto scrunched up his face. "You're joking…"

"A user of the Sharingan can see all three types of Nin, Gen, and Tai Jutsus and reflect them back on the user." Sasuke continued on as if he had not heard Naruto at all. He still stared up at Kakashi-sensei like some kind of revered master.

"Heh. You've got it right boy." The Mist ninja drew all their eyes upwards. "But you only scratched a surface. The Sharingan can copy even the smallest detail of an opponent's attack. As for you Jounin…" the man regarded Kakashi. "As a former member of the Mist we had a standing order to kill you on sight. Your profile was in our bingo books. The man who copied a thousand jutsu, Kakashi the Copy Ninja."

"_No way….nii-san really is some big deal?" _Naruto took one last look up at the red eye with black dots. Kakashi had not once looked away. But then Naruto always somehow knew this. "_He trained under the Yondaime Hokage…of course he is. But why cover up the eye at all?" _

"_Is Kakashi-sensei really some famous ninja?" _Sakura fidgeted nearby. There was no way. He was always late and so lazy and that book he always read. But this man knew him as soon as he caught sight of Kakashi…

"_This does not make any sense at all. The Sharingan is a rare trait in my Clan's bloodline. He can't be an Uchiha can he???"_

"I even hear Iwa had you lumped in with your former Hokage's flee order…but enough talk. I should be exterminating that old man." Zabuza crouched down on his sword handle, still stuck out from the tree trunk. All three Genin tightened their circle around the bridge builder and Kakashi stood at the front. "Ah so I have to kill you first Kakashi? Very well."

Without a second blink the man removed his sword and was on his way. Naruto frowned, were all Jounin this fast? Why was it so hard to keep track of all of them? He really had to step up his game when they got home. He pointed out the man on the water but noticed Kakashi's eyes were already drawn that way.

The 'devil of the mist' as Kakashi had called him had his arm extended in some odd fashion and a hand sign in front of him. Kakashi had tensed slightly but so far had not moved. _"why is he building up so much chakra?" _

"Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Jutsu."

They all blinked as a heavy fog began to congregate around them. Naruto frowned. This could not be good. He reached down with his free hand and grabbed onto Riri's scruff, the dog was crouched low and snarling.

"Riri-san, can you smell him?"

"Only barely." The dog snuffed. "Water, too much water…"

"He'll come for me first." Kakashi growled and Naruto blinked up at the older man. Why did Kakashi tell them to stay out of it? No Kakashi was right; they would only get in the Jounin's way.

"Sensei…" Sakura barely whispered from behind Naruto.

"You will stay out of this…" Kakashi reminded the three of them. "Protect the Bridge Builder."

As the mist grew thicker around them Naruto found it hard not to get nervous. Maybe Sakura had been right before they boarded the boat. This was above them, and this guy meant business. Naruto finally lost sight of Kakashi and flinched when Sakura called out in a slight panic.

"Don't give us away, Sakura…" he growled lowly to her.

"There are eight points." The gravelly voice returned and Naruto tightened his grip on his kunai though he knew it would be pointless to him. The Mist Ninja began listing killing blows and going on all without making any indication of where he was. It sounded like he was coming from all over, but that might have been because of the mist jutsu he just used as well.

Before Zabuza got a move off though a wave of chakra blew the mist, the thickest of it anyway, away and caused all of them to look forward again. Kakashi stood there and they could only assume he was the reason for the mist retreating.

And for Sasuke, who was only getting tenser as this drew out, it was too much. _This is insane! If it keeps up like this…it's like we can't move! So this is what a fight between two Jounin is…._

"Sasuke!"

Sasuke jerked up involuntarily at the sound of his name and Naruto straightened as well.

"Calm down. I won't allow my comrades to die. Trust me okay?"

Sasuke did not seem to release too much of his tension but Naruto instantly relaxed. That was a promise. _"Kakashi-nii-san won't let him touch us. This is nothing, he was ANBU remember…." _

And only for a moment did Naruto wish he could drop the charade and tell Sasuke and Sakura this. He knew what that promise meant. But he merely kept repeating it to himself in his head hoping that the other two would take the same hint and relax. They were useless as jumpy little rabbits…

"I wouldn't be so sure…"

And with that small minuscule moment Naruto froze, Ririshii yelped and things seemed to move too slowly for him. The man was right in the middle of them, his sword at his fingertips and ready to swing. As big as the sword was and how intent to kill Zabuza was all three of them would be cleaved straight through.

But just as quickly Kakashi moved and the four were scattered and the two were locked together. Naruto grinned momentarily, Kakashi had his kunai expertly stabbed straight into the man's abdomen and he assumed into one of those points that Zabuza himself had pointed out but it was a short lived relief.

"_Water….he's leaking water…."_

And then another Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi and took a wild swing. The other Zabuza dispersed into water. Naruto pointed but had little time to say anything before the man cleaved through Kakashi.

But instead of a body Kakashi disappeared in a fine mist of water. The same technique used by both men?

"_Bushin…Water Bushin…" _

Kakashi stood with his kunai pressed to Zabuza's neck, the two glaring daggers at one another. Things seemed to stay that way, the two having their own little conversation as they all looked on in silence. In a blink another Zabuza appeared and swung at Kakashi. He missed but the Mist Nin quickly rebounded and kicked Kakashi into the water nearby.

Zabuza followed after the falling form but came to a sudden halt shortly after. Something had momentarily deterred him from his goal but he quickly recovered and back flipped into the waiting water to find Kakashi for himself.

Naruto watched on transfixed. He knew the clones he produced and the ones Kakashi and Zabuza were producing were different fundamentally speaking. But he could clearly see why everyone believed the technique was a good trump card. Used correctly no one could ever be sure if what they were attacking was the original user or merely a clone.

Kakashi finally began to surface, glaring down at the water. "_This is heavy water, what did he do to it?" _But before he could formulate a good enough response Zabuza came up from behind, hands already formed into a seal.

"Ninja art: Water Prison Jutsu."

"No!"

It was already too late, the water encased Kakashi in a spherical shape of water, Zabuza's hand inside keeping the water in the form he preferred.

"_Escaping into the water facing off with a Mist Nin. Way to go Kakashi, you've gone soft in these past years as ANBU…." _

"So much for the great Kakashi." Zabuza chuckled darkly. "Hard to fight when you can't move. I'll finish you off later. But first your little friends will have to be eliminated. "Zabuza's hand came up in the one-handed version of a sign and he produced another Water Clone.

As the newest clone formed from the water they were literally surrounded by now Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke began to back a little.

"You think just because you have those headbands you are ninja." The clone was stalking forward now. "When you've hovered between life and death so many times that it no longer fazes you, then you may be called a Ninja. But to call upstarts like you ninja is a joke."

The mist was returning and the three tried to stick together but knew this was in vain. This man was a Jounin. Naruto finally felt the same way Sakura probably had at the first attack, like he was in over his head. The man had captured Kakashi already, what were they going to do that would even touch him?

A swift kick to his head sent him flying back and suddenly he just felt naked. Naruto reached up and found his headband gone. It was now being ground into the dirt by Zabuza.

"You're just brats. I am going to enjoy toying with you…"

"Naruto!" Sakura called out as he hit the dirt.

"Listen!" Kakashi called out from his prison. "Get the bridge builder and run. You cannot win this fight. He is using all of his power to keep me in this prison. That means his clone can only go so far. Get out of here while you can."

Naruto was trembling he could feel it. He could not see this ending well no matter how far they ran. Even if they did escape he would never choose that option. He was not leaving Kakashi behind like the older man was asking him to do. He growled a bit and came back up in a crouching position, Riri still near the bridge builder.

Little did Naruto know that Sasuke was thinking along the same lines.

"_We can't run, it's not an option. That became unthinkable the moment you got caught." _Both boys snarled and kept their eyes on the water clone in front of them.

"_I'm not leaving you here." _Naruto deviated from his dark haired boy only on this point. _"I won't leave you here…"_  
_"No matter how far we go he will find us and eliminate us and the bridge builder. Without Kakashi…we're useless."_

Sasuke went forward first. Something had to give eventually and he decided that without Kakashi they were dead. He charged forward, with hardly any real plan actually thought up but they had to try something.

"_Sasuke…"_ Naruto watched after his teammate and winced as the water clone Zabuza quickly put Sasuke to the ground and began kicking him. _"Wait…"_

Something began to turn in Naruto's head. Why not fight fire with fire? He glanced in Sasuke's direction. Once more he would need the Uchiha's help but what good was pride if they were all dead? Naruto repeated Sasuke's same action, but he aimed quietly not for the man but for his headband. That was his, he had earned that and he would not let the man disgrace it so badly. He felt almost naked without the shining silver metal plastered across his forehead. As he was knocked back his smiled a little. He at least had his head band back.

"What are you doing?! I told you to run!" Naruto ignored the request and met up with Sasuke, the two of them watching each twitch like rabid animals. "This fight was over the moment I got caught, now take off!"

"Riri-san, stay with Sakura and the builder." Naruto growled a bit and formed the proper sign. He knew what Kakashi said was true. The fight was over, but not for long.

This time the water clone moved first. He knocked Sasuke back again and began digging his heel into Sasuke's stomach, causing Sasuke to cry out a little in pain. Naruto finally produced enough shadow clones, to his liking and began to attack the water clone.

"_Fight fire with fire…"_

All it really accomplished was getting Sasuke away from the Mist Ninja. As each clone was dispersed and thrown back Naruto began the plan he had formulated. It was not well thought out and bets were the Jounin would see through it but as Sakura had called him, he was a prankster, and this was all he had. Finally he believed he was in place and dug out the windmill shuriken that anyone in their right mind would know he did not have before.

"Sasuke!" he yelped and threw the object before coming to a stop near Sakura and Riri. Sasuke caught the weapon and held it up to his face, staring down the man in front of them through the center rung.

"A Shuriken? You'll never touch me with that." Zabuza teased and released his hold on his sword.

Sasuke did not say a word; he just readied himself and threw the weapon as he leapt up to get enough momentum for it. And as he heaved the great weapon along Naruto grinned. Good Sasuke had caught on to his intended plan and targeted appropriately.

The shuriken seemed to be right on target for the water clone until it swung wide and went around. Zabuza, still out on the water with Kakashi, perked up as he watched the speeding windmill coming for him.

"Ah so he aimed past the clone and towards my real body. Clever boy." Zabuza remarked as he plucked the shuriken out of midair as it approached. "But not clever enough."

Right behind that shuriken, however, another came out of the shadow. Both Naruto and Sasuke grinned to themselves. That one was on target. Both knew it would be dodged but that was a part of the plan was it not?

"A Second one in the shadow?" Zabuza growled angrily. Just as they thought, when the shuriken got close enough the Jounin jumped up, keeping his hand in Kakashi's prison and his other hand on the Shuriken he had caught. "I told you that you could not touch me with a shuriken!"

The second shuriken seemed to go off and away till it would hit something. Just as it got past Zabuza Naruto let his clone near the builder disperse and he transformed out above the water. Oh Clones were fun and useful. As he did he aimed his kunai straight for the man's neck and let it fly loose.

The man's wild, bloodshot eyes, turned almost instantly as Naruto transformed. There was no way to dodge this one, unless….

Just as the kunai got close enough Zabuza yanked his hand free of the water prison and dodged the kunai thrown by Naruto. Naruto smirked as he fell through the air even though the man's attention was now on him.

"You little punk!" Zabuza snarled loudly as he began to twirl the shuriken fast and faster in his hand. His target was now Naruto as he fell towards the water. "I'll destroy you!"

Just as Zabuza took the swing Naruto hit the water in safety. As he popped his head back above the surface he grinned as Kakashi now stood there, his hand blocking the Shuriken with his hand guards as he positively seethed in Zabuza's direction.

"_Wow Kakashi looks really scary when he's ticked…" _Naruto thought to himself bobbing in the water in the dead still that had now come over the lake.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura was calling from the bank of the water.

"Naruto, that was an excellent plan." Kakashi grunted as he held the brunt force of Zabuza at bay. "You've really grown haven't you?"

Naruto merely chuckled a bit and smiled. Things were about to get good.

"I got distracted and lost my grip on the water prison." Zabuza snorted in defiance.

"Don't flatter yourself. You weren't distracted, you were forced to let go." Kakashi sneered back. "That technique worked on me once it won't work again."

Zabuza retaliated by forcing the windmill to close into a single blade, forcing more weight down onto Kakashi's hand. The two men struggled for a while before Kakashi finally forced the shuriken away and out of Zabuza's hands. The two separated an even distance away from each other and to Naruto's delight into the same ready position.

"_So, they call him the Copy Ninja…." _

Just as Zabuza began forming hand signs so did Kakashi, replicating them at the same time and speed as the Mist Ninja. It was if Kakashi could predict what the man was going to do instead of just mimicking what he saw at a high speed. Naruto looked around him uncertainly. The water was starting to churn and get rough without any real reason. Maybe this was not the best place to be at the moment.

Both men finished their hand signs and called out at the same time.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu."

Two huge streams of water came out from in front of each man, each one taking on the appearance of a flying dragon. The two water dragons clashed, causing water to rain down around the two men and causing the waters to rebel and toss violently. Naruto found himself tossed under as a wave came near him and came back up quickly to see the two men locked together again, Kakashi blocking Zabuza's sword with a mere kunai.

They broke apart, Zabuza looking perplexed by something as he began to run in a semi-circle, only to find his action copied by Kakashi at the same time. He stopped and Kakashi stopped and the Mist Nin put up his hands much like he had when he had first called the mist to form. Kakashi mirrored the action down to the smallest twitch.

The two stared at one another, neither taking their eyes of one another. Without warning Kakashi spoke out into the silence. "Going to do next?"

As Kakashi spoke them Naruto frowned. Why did he say that? What was the point? The sentence had no real meaning; it was not even a full sentence. But then he saw Zabuza's eyes widen. The Mist Jounin moved his hands into a starting hand sign and began to glare again. Whatever Kakashi had said meant something to him.

"You're just copying me, like a monkey." Zabuza growled.

"You can't beat me with cheap tricks." Both men said simultaneously. "I'll crush you."

Again Zabuza's eyes widened as Kakashi and he said each word at the same time. He quickly switched to going through the seals for another Ninjutsu but was being copied once again. This time though the man froze at the end, staring slightly past Kakashi's shoulder.

And during that lull Kakashi beat him to the punch and called forth a large wall of water.

"Impossible!" Zabuza yelped as he was hit by the vortex of water.

Naruto found himself being washed ashore by the force of it all. He grabbed hold of a tree branch as soon as he saw one and gripped tightly. This was unreal. He could barely keep up with the two but the force of their attacks were easily felt by everything in the area. As soon as the water receded enough Naruto sought out the Mist Nin, merely to keep his eye on him.

Zabuza had been forced into a rather sturdy tree or the vortex had a range and finally had lost a good deal of its destructive force. As Kakashi raised his kunai, the two having words again, something happened Naruto or the others could not see. Without Kakashi even touching him, Zabuza fell over, two long needles sticking out of his neck. Kakashi quickly focused in on the new attacker and Naruto followed his gaze to what appeared to be a man in distinctive clothing and a ceramic mask, not all together unlike the one Kakashi used to wear a few years ago. He stood in a tree silently watching a reactionary distance away from Kakashi but made no other moves other than to talk.

"You were right." The man chuckled. "It was his last battle."

Kakashi quietly knelt beside the prone form that was Zabuza and checked to see if what the man had said was true. Things were quiet and tense but finally Kakashi's eyes traveled back up to the man in the mask.

He responded by bowing his head, the long strips of hair dangling in front of him like ribbons. Of course it was also possible it was a woman.

"Thank you. I have been tracking Zabuza for a long time now, waiting for the chance to take him down." The man went on.

"By your mask, I see that you're a tracker ninja from the Village Hidden in the Mist."

"Impressive, you are well informed."

Naruto positioned himself again with his teammates in front of the bridge builder. He tried desperately to tap down on the adrenaline rushing through his system but something screamed at him from the inside. This was not right, something was wrong here.

Kakashi must have been on the same page because he kept his eyes trained warily on the man in the tree as if to size him up properly. It was hard to get a good feel being lower than the tracker ninja but he was comparing him in size to the three Genin. The voice was light an effeminate but he was pretty sure this was a male, which would put the tracker in a lower age range.

"_So about Naruto's age but already an elite ninja. What is he?" _

Kakashi slowly backed away and allowed the Tracker to come down to the ground to claim his prize. The masked tracker did so and lifted the body up over his shoulder. He quietly bowed his head again to Kakashi and then disappeared in a puff.

Naruto blinked up at Kakashi questioningly. This seemed rather convenient for him but he trusted Kakashi's judgment for now. Something about the Tracker Ninja had set him off into defensive. They all stood in the foggy aftermath of Kakashi and Zabuza's battle in relative quiet.

"Well we still haven't completed the mission yet. We've yet to get the builder to his bridge." Kakashi muttered and repositioned his pack a little on his shoulders.

Nervously Tazuna laughed and tipped his hat up slightly. "Sorry to have caused you all this trouble, but you can rest at my place when we get to the village…."

"Alright you three let's get moving." Kakashi called out and began taking the lead. But after just a few steps, Naruto noticed he froze in mid-step. It was almost like slow motion as the man fell over. Sasuke, Sakura, Riri and the Bridge Builder came running up as Naruto tried in vain to stop the fall.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

"_SHIT! This is bad, this is bad." _Naruto slightly panicked in his head as the others circled around the Jounin now lying in the grass with his eyes tightly shut. At first he had been just as surprised as the others but then something came to mind. Naruto had seen Kakashi do this before many, many years ago. Kakashi had overdone it; he had used too much chakra. "_Out here? Now? Last time he did this he was out for days…what are we supposed to do? Was it because of all those jutsu he fired off? No, wait….was it because of that eye?" _Naruto curious peered down at the scarred eye tightly shut and obscuring the red orb beneath. Naruto noticed Kakashi had quickly closed the eye the moment the Tracker Ninja came into play but had thought nothing of it. _ "Is that why he keeps it covered up?" _

"What's wrong with him?" Sakura reached out to touch the Jounin, to try to wake him, but Naruto knew Kakashi was out now and nothing they did would help that.

Naruto glanced at Riri and then up to the bridge builder. Quietly he slipped off his backpack and motioned to Riri who came up quickly and let Naruto latch the object around him. The dog quietly took the pack and watched on worriedly as Naruto moved to try and get Kakashi at least up off the ground.

"_Damn it Nii-san, you're too heavy." _He growled mentally as he pulled Kakashi up. This was going to be harder to move but they could not just stay there.

"Here." The bridge builder held out his own pack to Naruto who blinked up at the older man. "You're too short, I can carry him."

"But…"

"I'm a builder, I'm used to heavy loads." The man chuckled a bit as he got Kakashi's arm over his shoulders and pulled the young ninja up. Naruto watched momentarily and then shouldered the builder's packs.

"_You better be okay, Nii-san. We're screwed if you're not." _Naruto frowned as he Sasuke and Sakura took up behind the builder, all of them keeping wary eyes around. Who knew what next would come their way and with Kakashi out of the game for a while, they would have to be extra careful.

* * *

**Author note x2: **Whew…who knew this was that long….guess what more coming! LOL Also yeah to ward off the-would be bashers and what not. Yes Sakura is portrayed a bit as the weakest of the three in this scenario. I do not dislike Sakura but I do see her as being the know it all in the first episodes. She didn't actually start being somewhat helpful further along towards Chuunin exams and thereafter. She could be A LOT more as we see later on down the line, so for now she's stuck as the beating post… At any rate, this was a bit more fun Hai XD off and away to finish the wave arc. Wasn't expecting it to be that big of an arc but boy was I stupid…..off off and away!

OH And A little fun fact here: Word Spellcheck, if not already trained to recognize the word "Sasuke" will give you the option "Sapsucker" as a replacement for what it believes is a misspelled word. I about cried laughing at the irony... little emo that Sasuke is it fits soooo well. Okay that is all ;)


	6. Man's Best Friend

**The Fox and the Hound**

Chapter 5:Man's Best Friend

**Chapter Summary:**With Kakashi recovering and the bridge builder back to his bridge how will things play out this time around?

**Author note: ***blinks and blinks* Hmmmm fluffy time? Oh yes fluffiness!!! Oh and in completely unrelated, and as such probably useless, news… I have officially broken the 3,000 Song mark on my iPod…. Oh yes Mr. 120-GB…I will fill you if it bankrupts me….. P.S. sorry for the week long delay, there was an unexpected death in the family.

* * *

The Bridge Builder lived in a home much like the others they had passed through the small village in the waterways. The only difference was it seemed more maintained and had better upkeep. Naruto supposed that if the man could build bridges, keeping a home in order was no issue. As they entered Naruto could not help but look around curiously. It was actually a two story home, with large rooms and sitting areas. This place was large to him. He had lived in a small apartment for most of his life so this was nearly a mansion in comparison.

"Father you're home!" a slim woman with long black hair came to greet them. She stopped short when she saw them and then went about rushing around to make a place for them. Tazuna set Kakashi down momentarily and the three Genin began unloading most of their packs. Naruto made it a point to carefully set down the bridge builder's because it had been particularly heavy.

Tazuna's daughter had been quick to prepare them a room and made a place for Kakashi to rest. The Bridge Builder again took Kakashi up by the arm and then laid him down carefully. He quietly left the Genin with their Sensei in the strange room in the strange land.

"We should take turns on watch." Sasuke had said after a few moments alone. Neither one of them liked the silence too well. More than likely they were all thinking the same thing anyway. This was a bad situation they were in and so far they had never been left to their own devices on a mission. Sasuke took furtive glances at Kakashi then crossed his arms in front of him to stare out the open windows to the ocean.

Naruto sat and began pulling off his shoes, as was only proper in a house like this. He sat cross-legged near a window and smiled a bit as Ririshii took up to lying beside Kakashi, right up against the man's side. Naruto frowned up at the Uchiha; he was going into 'boss' mode again without Kakashi there to keep him in line.

"One of us should stay with him until he wakes up….if he does." Sasuke continued on with his thought.

"Eh, he will." Naruto sighed heavily. "It'll just be a few days before he does…."

"How do you know that?" Sakura barked at him from her own kneeling position. Her tone was sharp and tense and she was quietly fingering the edge of her dress. She was positively upset but was doing well enough not to let it get too out of hand….yet. "We don't even know what's wrong with him."

"I think he used too much chakra." Naruto replied calmly. He flinched when both pairs of eyes locked in on him uncertainly. "You all saw what he did, how could it be anything else?"

Both Sakura and Sasuke blinked at him in awe. Naruto choose to ignore the blank stares and went about unwinding the bandages on his left hand to inspect the injury he had gotten days earlier. Naruto was aware that his acting this calm was a slip up and that they could call him on it. Of course they had just gotten a pretty good lesson on relying too heavily on Ninjutsu and the risks involved with fights that dragged on for too long. Naruto quickly decided to play it off as having heard it from class but was not sure either one would buy that explanation readily.

"Well since you seem so sure you can stay with him." Sasuke finally snorted after several moments of staring contest. "Sakura and I can follow Tazuna-san if he decides to start his work. Don't see a reason why he wouldn't, we took care of the biggest threat…"

"We?" Naruto laughed a little bit. "We didn't do shit, save for getting Kakashi-Sensei outta that bubble of water. Kakashi-sensei did the rest."

"Hmph." Sasuke snorted again and left the room. Sakura was still crouched nearby watching Kakashi carefully. She was not as convinced as Sasuke.

"You're sure that's all it is? That Tracker Ninja didn't like, poison him or anything?" Light teal green eyes speared Naruto and he felt really guilty for making her worry this way. Yeah he was sure, but how did he say that without giving too much away?

"I'm pretty sure. Don't you remember what they told us about it? It seems like what happened anyways….Hell he's still breathing and he isn't exhibiting any signs of poisoning."

Sakura seemed to take all of his words in and finally let out a long breath. She smiled a little in relief but then turned her eyes back on Naruto. She watched for a little while, cocking her head to the side a bit, while Naruto fought the urge to fidget under her gaze. What the hell was she staring at? He did his best to just pretend he did not care and went back to inspecting his hand.

"Naruto?"

"Hmm?"

"How do you know all this? I mean you didn't seem too smart in class, you were always goofing off and I…"

"Eh I was always bored in class." Naruto shrugged a little and tried to shake off the nerves digging into his gut. Why was she asking this now? Why did she even care? "Anyways I like to read, so I figured why not books on something useful…"

"Really? Heh." Sakura giggled a little bit. Some of the worked up tension she was holding onto let loose and she sat all the way down on the floor now instead of balancing on the balls of her feet. "I guess that goes along with your growing plants huh?"

"That is a rewarding activity!" Naruto jumped a little and acted put off. He really did like his plants. It was fun to grown them and then trim and care for them. It made his room seem like an outdoors even though it was indoors. It also gave him time to think. He always came up with the best pranks when he was tending to his plants. "You should try it sometime, it's very calming."

Sakura only giggled again and stood. She was feeling a bit more relief now so she was going to follow after Sasuke. Her curiosity had been quelled enough for her to give up on any further questions. "You're very unpredictable Naruto."

"You bet!" Naruto nodded as he crossed his arms definitively. Sakura left a small smile on her face and he let his guard fall another fraction. He deflated and leaned up against the outer wall, ready to take up his designated role: babysitting. He would have ended up doing it anyway, but just because Sasuke had taken up the mantle of 'leader' made it frustrating.

He glanced in Kakashi's direction, the man's eyes were still tightly shut and he was completely oblivious to his surroundings. Thankfully, Naruto noted. Had Kakashi been any kind of witness to his and Sakura's little discussion he would have accused Naruto of flirting with the pink haired girl. As if! Naruto merely wanted his teammate to not be so jumpy anymore…

And maybe he liked when he could get her to laugh at him.

"Damn it…." Naruto growled and shuddered a bit in a nervous habit. Really he should be trying to relax as well. It was really beautiful here in the Land of Wave, at least this small portion he had seen. He wondered what had made things so bad that would have Tazuna lying to them but knew sometimes the powers in charge got greedy. And that's when things went bad. Worry kept Naruto from enjoying the gentle breeze and the call of seabirds. If nothing had happened on their way here, Naruto would probably be out in the water already acting like a fool.

But really all of this had come a little too fast and all at once. First there was the two Chuunin who had attacked. Naruto had to admit once the initial shock wore off; it had been fun to compete with Sasuke for the right to take down their first opponent. Riri had given him the extra few minutes to comprehend what had happened and then he acted accordingly.

But that Jounin…even Sasuke had begun to wilt under the absolute intensity of the fight between Zabuza and Kakashi. Naruto himself still felt little pin-pricks along his arms as if the chakra was still heavy in the air around them. They had been way in over their heads but thankfully he and Sasuke had found enough courage to go through with getting Kakashi loose.

Otherwise they'd all be dead right now.

Sure, having just graduated they probably all thought to some degree that they were ready to face something, anything, but in reality they were not. They were not even close. There were some insanely strong people out there and Zabuza could have easily killed any of them at a whim had Kakashi not been just as high of a threat.

"_Kakashi the Copy Ninja…"_ Naruto mulled around in his head a bit as he reached up and finally moved the headband back to its proper location, over the red eye. Is that what other ninja called Kakashi in the world at large? Had he really copied a thousand jutsu?

Naruto found he was just a little disillusioned all of the sudden. There was a lot more wrong in this world than he ever imagined. What kind of threat was a builder? Why send someone who obviously loved killing so much to torture a man who only wanted to better his fellow's lives? Not only that but he had grown up knowing Kakashi as the silent, protective figure. He had never really seen Kakashi angry or threatening, just a calm presence in the apartment. He was a stabilizer. Sure Naruto knew he had been ANBU and was a respected ninja of the village but Naruto always attributed that to who Kakashi's sensei had been.

Even thinking of the times when Kakashi would teach him things, showing Naruto when he felt the academy was lacking in their instruction, he could not conjure up what he finally saw out in the field. Naruto shuddered involuntarily thinking about it. The look Kakashi had once Naruto and Sasuke had freed him had been just as terrifying as Zabuza's presence. Kakashi looked just like he should have looked, like a killer….a very well trained killer who was now very angry by being caught in a simple jutsu.

"Worried." Ririshii whispered from his position at Kakashi's other side. The dog moved till his head came to rest atop Kakashi's chest and his chocolate brown eyes bore into Naruto from his perch.

"Hai a little." Naruto agreed with the dog's assessment. "Last time I saw him like this I was a little kid…"

"Then normal? Not injured?" Riri's tail thumped on the wooden floors a bit in a slow wag. Naruto grinned a bit, it was hard to imagine a time before Ririshii was there in the apartment but in all honesty the dog probably had assumed like his teammates, that Kakashi was hurt. "Terrified… but Sasuke and you came together well."

"I suppose we did." Naruto mumbled and let his head rest on his knees. "Something just doesn't feel right though, Riri. It's like we're missing something."

"The mist was still there." Riri whimpered.

Naruto went rigid at his dog's observation. Riri was right! The mist which Zabuza had summoned forth had never really cleared until the Mist Tracker had taken the body away. Even then the fog had hung around for a bit. If the mist had only formed because of Zabuza's technique…and Zabuza was dead…why had the mist…

"Shit."

Riri's ears perked up at Naruto's curse and he cocked his head a little atop Kakashi's resting form. "Something wrong?"

"That guy, what if he's not dead?" Naruto asked his dog in all seriousness. "We had better hope Nii-san didn't overdo it too much or we're in trouble."

Just as Naruto finished his thought the door creaked open slowly. Naruto froze in embarrassment, ready to face retribution for letting his guard down too much but found it was merely Tsunami, Tazuna's daughter entering the room. The slim woman was carrying a small tray with her, it had food and drink for both Naruto and Riri. Naruto wondered idly as she approached if at one time Tazuna had the same black hair as she had or if it had been Tsunami's mother who had given her the trait.

"I thought you and your dog might be hungry. It's not much." Tsunami set the tray down near Naruto and smiled at him warmly. "I finally convinced your friends to have something and told Father to take it easy for a day or two while your teacher recovers."

Riri stood slowly as to not cause any disturbance and came over to quietly sniff at the tray. He huffed happily and dug into the small bowl of food the woman had offered him. Naruto could not help but to blink up at the woman. She had no idea who any of them were and yet she was being very kind to them all. It was a complete three-sixty from what he expected. It was a little bit confusing.

"Anyway, I appreciate you all keeping my father safe. We don't know what would happen to the village without him and this bridge…" she smiled as she straightened and began to leave the room.

Naruto finally found his voice as she was closing the door behind her. "Arigatou!" he called after her and then followed Riri's lead, he had not noticed in all the uproar but he was kind of hungry and what she had brought was ten times better than the ration bars they had with them. Anything was better than those cardboard sticks.

After both Naruto and Riri finished the shepherd came and curled up in Naruto's lap. It was somewhat awkward because of Ririshii's size but Naruto allowed him and began to stroke the smooth coat of black fur. All that mattered was they were safe for now…or so he hoped…and they could worry more about the coming threat once Kakashi was conscious again.

The next few days were pretty quiet. Naruto had known it would take maybe two days before Kakashi even woke up after his fight with Zabuza but it did not prevent boredom from creeping into his awareness. Naruto was at least somewhat entertained by what he assumed was Tazuna's grandson. He would find on occasion that he was being watched rather intently by a little boy with dark hair. But whenever Naruto would look up or try to speak to the kid, the little boy would dart away and hide. According to Sakura and Sasuke it was the Bridge Builder's grandson and he had been doing the same thing to them as well.

Naruto could not help but be curious and almost sad for the boy. His little game of cat and mouse spoke volumes of the kid's self-esteem. It was also somewhat haunting. It only served to remind him of why he was so grateful to Kakashi. Naruto used to be just like the little boy. But at least it served him with some entertainment. He had seen very little of Sakura or Sasuke since they arrived.

"_Some teammates…"_

Downstairs Sasuke kept to Tazuna and Tsunami while Sakura merely shadowed his movements. Since the bridge builder had decided to wait a few days they had little else to do but sit around and try to be prepared. Sasuke refused to be caught unawares and absolutely refused to be frightened like he had been at the start of the fight. It was almost embarrassing. So he sat nearby the Bridge Builder who was using a stone to sharpen some of his tools and Sasuke doing the same with his kunai. Sakura sat nearby with Tsunami talking away. Sasuke was silently thankful to the woman for dragging the pink-haired girl away to help with simple things. Her nervous energy and her constant badgering were starting to get on his nerves. He had hoped that once they got used to each other as a team that Sakura would stop treating him like all the girls in their graduating class had, like fan girls, but Sasuke had seen little to support this happening…EVER.

Sasuke had his own things to worry about anyway, as he continued to inspect his gear and keep himself alert. There was something bugging him about a little bit of everything right now and it was troubling. The boy in the mask was the main concern. Why had he waited so long to kill Zabuza and why had he not killed them along with the missing Nin? Were they not considered witnesses? His behavior was not what he would have thought of someone sent to kill a rogue ninja.

Then there was their sensei, which possessed the Sharingan in his left eye socket. Sensei had clearly introduced himself as Hatake Kakashi. There was no way he was an Uchiha clan member. The eye in question had a scar over it as if the eye had been damaged before. Was it possible Kakashi had stolen the eye from someone?

"_No, that does not make sense; Father wouldn't have allowed someone to get away with that. Kakashi would have been banished from Konoha, if not killed immediately." _Sasuke frowned. So how had Kakashi gotten the eye of his Clan?

And then there was Naruto.

The dobe was really not acting the way Sasuke had assumed he would. When he had gotten teamed up with Uzumaki almost a month ago he had cursed his luck of having two useless teammates but Naruto had quickly proven that theory to be wrong.

First there was his mutt of a dog. Ririshii was unexpected when Naruto came to their Survival test that early morning but clearly the dog was some sort of Ninja Hound. He had spoken for crying out loud; of course he was a ninja dog. But not once had Sasuke or anyone else in their class seen the dog before. Naruto had not just conjured up a dog in one evening so where had he kept the dog? Why had he kept the dog a secret?

Then there was the survival test itself. Naruto had created real clones, not just illusions of himself. Naruto had called them Shadow Clones at one point during some random conversation the two had on those pointless D-Ranks. But it was a skill they had not learned in class, so where had the dobe picked it up? Then the fight with the Chuunin a few days prior; Sasuke had expected Naruto to do as Sakura had done and frozen up in the face of a real threat. After all Naruto's talk and boasting, Sasuke assumed he would have nothing to back himself up with. Instead Sasuke found himself racing to get the Chuunin he had targeted down before Naruto finished with his target.

Naruto was no idiot….

"I wonder…" Sasuke murmured, keeping his eyes keen on the kunai he was currently sharpening. He had not meant to make his thoughts known but it just got more and more curious the more he thought about it.

"Hmm? What's that Sasuke?" Sakura returned her attention to him as soon as he spoke.

"Why isn't he worried?" Sasuke muttered while ignoring the girl for the moment. He glanced up at the floorboards above them and to the room where Kakashi was resting. It was something that had stuck out like a sore thumb to him since it happened. Even he had to admit to being somewhat worried that the Jounin was actually seriously hurt and not just exhausted. When the Jounin had first passed out in the forest himself, Sakura, and the bridge builder had rushed forward and acted concerned.

Naruto had not. He had merely gone about trying to get Kakashi somewhere safe.

"Who, Naruto?" Sakura questioned as she looked up as well.

"Yeah, didn't you see the way he acted when Kakashi first fell? It's as if he knew it was going to happen…"

"Huh, that's weird.." Sakura rubbed at her chin and glanced over to Sasuke shyly. "Well he did say he liked to read a lot so maybe he just kinda saw the signs…"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at Sakura. Naruto liked to read a lot? That was a lie, was it not? Then something sprang to mind. Most of the time at practice or during d-rank missions Kakashi himself was reading. Was it another weird coincidence; not likely.

"No it seems weirder than that." Sasuke finally responded to Sakura. "Think about it, he knew Kakashi-sensei was going to panic when Ririshii bit into that book. Naruto purposefully sent the dog after it during our test. I mean we know _**now**_ he loves those books but Naruto knew then, just after we met him…"

Sakura blinked a little bit and then began to frown. She could see it now too. Naruto seemed awfully aware of their sensei's habits. He even seemed familiar with Kakashi's fighting style whenever they were training. Naruto adapted faster than she and Sasuke had.

"He's not complaining about being left behind to guard Kakashi either. I would have thought he would." Sasuke continued on venting his frustration. "Instead Naruto and his dog are holed up in there with him, he's not left…"

"Maybe he's just worried or he wants to be sure. " Sakura stood up and stretched a bit, looking to go back to helping Tsunami with her task. "Naruto kinda reminds me of Riri, you know? He wants to protect everyone all the time even though he can't."

"It just seems too odd."

"Yeah it kinda does. Now that you mention it."

Upstairs Kakashi blinked at the ceiling above him, mentally going through and checking off each vital point and assessing why he had woken up in a strange environment. It was not the first time this had happened but he was pretty sure this time was not his fault. Oh wait, he groaned a little when he remembered Zabuza, it had been his fault…

"I think I overdid it with my Sharingan…"

"No really?" the smart reply came from his right. Kakashi turned his head slowly and found Naruto, resting up against Ririshii like a pillow on a nearby wall. The dog's tail was wagging eagerly and Naruto looked rather relaxed and rested, as if he himself had just woken up. But it was evident in the blue orbs and the boy's tone that Naruto was about to rebound all those lectures Kakashi had given him on the Jounin. "You could've fooled us."

"Passed out did I?" Kakashi moved to sit up but found it was difficult. "I won't be able to move right again for at least a week."

"Well that beats your previous record." Naruto stretched and allowed Riri to get up. The German shepherd came up quiet as a mouse to Kakashi and sat down to begin licking him gently on the hand nearest him. "Seriously _Sensei _what the hell?"

"Sorry." Kakashi bashfully rubbed at his head. He could clearly hear the underlying tone of complete confusion in Naruto's voice and knew he had probably scared a couple of years off the boy's life. He wondered momentarily if Naruto had slipped and that was why he was so worked up or if he just was referring to the eye Kakashi had hidden from him. "How badly did Sakura react?"

"She's been pacing around here for the past two days. She can't decide if she should stay with Sasuke or help me watch you." Naruto laughed a little bit. "Luckily I think Tazuna-san's daughter is keeping her busy for now."

"Ah so we arrived at the bridge builder's house then?" Kakashi again took in his surroundings.

"Yeah thanks to the bridge builder. Kami, you're heavy." Naruto frowned up at him.

"Muscle mass is usually much heavier than regular weight Naruto…."

"Wha…bah…GRRRRR" Naruto began growling in his general direction in response to Kakashi's deflecting his concern. "You know I remember the last time this happened, you shoulda stopped while you were ahead."

"And at what point should I have stopped hmm?" Kakashi eyed Naruto as the boy sputtered unsuccessfully with a proper answer. "Right well, we'll just have to deal with this setback now won't we?"

"You gonna spill about that eye?"

And up came uncomfortable topic number two. Kakashi again speared Naruto with a look and found Naruto predictably staring at the spot on his headband where his eye would be obscured. Kakashi reached up and rubbed at the eye, it ached sometimes when he overused it, but shook his head no to dissuade the teenager. Instead it merely strengthened Naruto's resolve.

"I thought you were blind in that eye." Naruto sat up a bit and Riri also seemed to look at the spot behind Kakashi's headband. "Instead it's some freaky looking red eye. Everyone called it the Sharingan. I think Sasuke's gonna ream you one too, _Sensei. _He did not look happy…"

"He wouldn't be." Kakashi sighed and gave in slightly to what Naruto was getting at. "Technically the Sharingan is an Uchiha bloodline limit. Thus the reason it draws on my chakra so badly. It's also why I keep it covered up. An Uchiha can deactivate the eye, I cannot and as long as it's open it keeps draining on my chakra."

"Where'd it come from then?"

Naruto never received an answer because the Bridge Builder's daughter came in and took a very demanding stance with her hands on her hips and a frown upon her face.

"Should you even be moving in your state?" she asked rather hotly and both Naruto and Kakashi cringed a bit. Behind the woman Sasuke and Sakura were peering in at them. They must have heard Kakashi and Naruto talking and come up to investigate.

"_So much for getting answers." _Naruto frowned as they came in.

"Sensei! You're awake!" Sakura finally pushed past Tsunami and came to take a seat at Kakashi's other side. Sasuke came in much more quietly and sat at the foot of the makeshift bed. "Your Sharingan, it's amazing, but why do you use if it puts that much strain on you?"

"Sorry," Kakashi offered up the same lame word of apology as he had with Naruto. The three of them seemed primed to question him on his choice of using an eye he had longer than any of them had been alive. Kids…..

"Well as long as he took care of the most dangerous of the assassins, I think we could let it slide." Tazuna said from the doorway looking in.

"What about the boy in the mask?" Naruto inserted himself back into the conversation and Kakashi turned his one eye to him.

"That boy was a member of the Elite Tracking Unite from the Village Hidden in the Mist." Kakashi explained slowly. "Those masks are only worn by the most elite Shinobi."

Naruto went quiet and pulled Ririshii back from Kakashi gently. Maybe some of those answers were still coming. He already was intrigued by Kakashi's words….Kakashi once had a mask in the shape of a dog…

"What exactly do they do?" Sakura asked.

"The ANBU Black Ops, also known as the Inferno Squad, destroy all traces of a rogue ninja's corpse. The corpse can contain many secrets; Ninjutsu, Chakra, medicines, all of which are secrets of a particular village. If enemies find the body first those secrets are then suspect to their will and they would most likely be used against the ninja's home village. It is the sacred duty of the trackers to prevent this from happening."

"If that was the tracker's job is…" Naruto put forward slowly, scratching Riri's ear as he formed each word carefully. He was going to choose to ignore the hidden explanation there, but he could not help but think to himself about Kakashi's former job as ANBU. "Why did the tracker take the body?"

Kakashi tested one of his arms and winced before looking back to Naruto with a small amount of pride. _"So he noticed. He felt that there was something missing…" _

"Is that important?" Sakura shrugged. "The Tracker took it away, that's all that matters."

"No he's right." Kakashi interrupted her. "The Tracker should have started working then and there so there was no room for error. Think of what weapons he used…."

"Throwing Needles….senbon." Sasuke said after a few moments of thinking. "No way…."

"Very good." Kakashi praised the other boy on his team. "None of this adds up."

"What are you all so worried about." Tazuna frowned as he came to sit. "You got rid of the assassin…"

"No the truth is that Zabuza is still alive." Kakashi straightened and tried to stretch more. He had to recover more quickly than he usually did if what he believed was true.

"But we saw his body…" Sakura cringed. "You checked yourself…"

"It was a temporary state. Those needles that the tracker used, they can pierce deeply but rarely kill unless they hit a vital organ or they are poisoned. Trackers are trained to know all the details of the human body. It would be easy for one to hit a pressure point and stop the heart temporarily."

"That's why the tracker took the body." Naruto sighed. "He was trying to save that freak from you."

"Which means he's not a tracker at all." Sasuke finished the thought. Kakashi grinned a little. The two fought fiercely with one another but they certainly shared the same thought patterns. "He was with Zabuza…"

"You're over thinking this!" Tazuna tried to reel in the three's conversation.

"When faced with suspension the ninja prepares quickly…"

"But you can barely move!" Sakura spoke up. "How are we going to prepare?"

"I can still train you can't I?"

* * *

"Alright you three." Kakashi took a formal tone as they finally made their way out to a surrounding forest. Tazuna had found a crutch for the Jounin to use and Kakashi was somewhat able to keep moving with it helping his balance. He was never going to hear the end of this when they got back to Konoha, he was sure, but for now their focus had to be preparing for the worst. "Training starts now. First we will review chakra, the basic source of a Ninja's power."

"We already know that." Sasuke sounded almost annoyed.

"Yeah honestly sensei….what's the point?" Naruto joined his 'rival' in bemoaning their rudimentary lesson.

"Go ahead Sakura; tell them what the point is." Kakashi merely smirked a bit and gave Sakura a little nudge. He knew how smart she was, she could easily describe what he was getting at, and just maybe it would give her a bit more confidence.

As she went on and on Kakashi could not help but smirk at the two boys who were just dead staring at Sakura. His eye traveled to Ririshii who was sitting at Naruto's feet his head cocked to the side, his ears flopping over. He actually looked like he was listening to Sakura and it brought up an idea for Kakashi.

"Right on all points, very good Sakura." Kakashi praised her as she finished.

"What's the point in all this explanation, the whole point is to learn the jutsu isn't it?" Naruto frowned at them both.

"Naruto's right for once, we're already using Chakra energy in our jutsu."

"No. You have not mastered this power; you have merely scratched the surface. It's just like Sakura said; you have to draw on both the physical and spiritual energies. Each jutsu requires that you draw on those energies in different proportions. You must mix and combine them in exactly the right way. Up till now you have just guessed at the proportions, hoping they'd come out right. Even if you produce a lot of chakra, if you cannot control and balance it, it is worthless. The jutsu won't work at all or will backfire on you. You waste so much energy that way."

Naruto finally quieted and was now intently listening. Something in the explanation stuck out as being aimed at him. _"Your control is shit…"_

"So how do we change that?" Naruto laughed nervously and rubbed at his head.

"Train so hard that controlling your chakra becomes second nature to you."

"What do we have to do?"

Kakashi chuckled a bit. He did enjoy teasing the three on some small level. It was fun to watch them balk whenever he said something that seemed utterly ridiculous. "Climb a tree."

"Climb a tree?" all three said at the same time.

"That's right." Kakashi grinned more. "There's only one rule. No hands."

"You're joking!" Sakura was the first to balk.

"Am I?" he molded a small amount of chakra, sure that Naruto would protest the moment he was sure he and Kakashi were alone, and then headed for the nearest tree. Slowly he climbed straight up for the largest branch and stood there upside down.

"Woah…he's climbing…"

"With only his feet."

"You get the idea?"

"It's a nice trick and all." Naruto was frowning over at Sakura. "But how does this help if that Zabuza guy shows up?"

"This training requires a very subtle mix of both physical and spiritual energy. The soles of the feet are the hardest point to focus your chakra to. If you can master this then you can master any jutsu." Kakashi flicked out three kunai and tossed them down in front of the Genin. "Use those to mark how high you can get without using your hands. Then try to pass that mark each time."

The three reached down predictably and grabbed hold of the kunai knives. Each positioned themselves to the trees directly in front of them. They each did as he had and began trying to focus their chakra too their feet. Without warning Naruto went first with Sasuke not far behind. Like many people who first were presented with this exercise the two boys took running starts at the tree, racing forward and hoping their momentum would carry them. In most cases it would do just that, but it was not the true sense of the exercise.

The three were on their way, Naruto sliding neatly off within a few steps. This exercise would be somewhat harder for him, too much chakra and the bark would crack and push him off, too little and he would fall back off. Naruto, as most users with a lot of chakra, usually went too much too fast. Sasuke had made it a good distance before striking the tree and flipping away. He too had stumbled upon this flaw leaving a small indent in the tree right before he flew off.

Kakashi smirked a bit though and let his eye travel up the third tree. Sakura sat happily on a high branch in her tree, her feet swinging back and forth as she watched the boys. It was never really talked about but the theory always was that females had better control and manipulation of chakra. There was never any proof or any known reason but here Sakura was, beating the boys in something.

"Hey this is kind of fun!"

"Well, it looks like the female member of the squad has the best chakra control. Well done Sakura."

She responded by sticking her tongue out at the two boys, which merely served to prod the two on. They began running at their trees again. Kakashi could see the flares of their competition. Each was taking sidelong glances at the other to see who was getting further. Kakashi calmly went back down the tree and took up to watching from the sidelines.

Sakura followed suit but proceeded to surprise him by trying to go further with her reach. Good she understood that bettering herself would better the team as a whole.

"_Either that or she wants to impress Sasuke." _Kakashi frowned and turned his head slightly behind him. There behind a tree a little boy stood watching, holding onto the tree as he peered around. He too had caught sight of the little boy in the home and knew he was Tazuna's grandson but he could not help but wonder why the boy was there watching them? Why was he out alone?

Kakashi turned back around just in time to watch something almost comical. Naruto was back in his starting position. He shot off like a rocket only to fall flat on his face in about three steps. Sakura laughed, Sasuke snorted, and Kakashi fought hard not to do as Sakura. He knew what had happened. Naruto accidentally stumbled, literally, upon the right mix of chakra and his foot had stuck to the ground as he was running. Now to see what he would do with that information, if he even realized it.

Apparently Naruto did not because he just retraced his steps, embarrassed at his failure and then went about rushing at the tree again, kunai clutched tightly. Kakashi sighed, leaned up against a tree far enough away and smiled as Riri came to rest up against him. He scratched the dog's ear for a moment then leaned down to the large black ear, tugging on it a little as if making it a huge secret.

"Riri-san, I do believe you would benefit from much the same training. Ninja Dogs normally have chakra and I'm almost betting you do as well." The dog blinked then nodded and slunk off into the forest to train away from the three Genin. He did not want to distract the three from their training and more than likely wanted it to be a surprise for Naruto.

After a while Kakashi could see the three slowing. Sakura had finally given in and was lying in the grass nearby panting heavily. She had the best control of the three of them but she also had a much smaller pool of chakra to work with and she had finally reached a limit. Sasuke was kneeling, glaring at his kunai marks on his tree, unhappy with his progress and Naruto was busy growling at his own tree, where the marks were not very high at all.

"_Oh well, I knew it would take them a while and it gets the attention off of me and what I did." _Kakashi sighed. But then Naruto did what Kakashi had hoped he would all along. After properly venting his frustration on the tree he walked over calmly to Sakura, knelt down and began whispering to her in private. "_Well, he's finally asking for help." _

Sakura seemed conflicted at first but then began to whisper back to the blonde. Even better she was starting to warm up to Naruto and consider him a teammate maybe more so than she considered Sasuke. Kakashi grinned happily and started to head back to the bridge builder's home. He would leave the three to figure out their own limits.

On his way Kakashi found Ririshii panting at the base of a tree. There were no marks to indicate where the dog had gone or how high he had gotten but he could tell the dog had been trying. Slowly the animal stood and shook out his coat, little hairs flying from the shedding coat of fur, and Kakashi grinned as he watched Riri's method. Riri merely reared up on his hind legs and let his front paws rest on the tree bark. Every so often the dog would pull or tug on his paws to see if they came loose. When they did not he let his hindquarters come up and he slowly walked up the tree as Kakashi had. He did not get too far before the concentration let up and the dog fell with a yelp.

The shepherd too had been guessing. As with most chakra users the ability to use chakra was just instinct. But when trying to learn to control it or rein it in, that was when difficulties arose. But just like Naruto, Riri stood up and tried again, eager to learn anything that would make him a better partner for the boy.

"_Good dog…" _

_

* * *

_

The next night both Sakura and Kakashi got a good feel for just how far this new competition between the boys had gone. Tazuna's daughter had prepared a meal for them and Kakashi had gone out to drag the two back to the home. Each one was now forcing themselves to eat at an incredible pace all the while glaring at the other across the table.

Tazuna and Tsunami were both quietly eating, watching the two with somewhat apprehensive looks when both boys put down their plates, were nice enough to say thanks and were out the door again both racing towards the trees they had marked.

Sakura sighed heavily and apologized for her teammate's lack of manners and went about helping Tsunami clean up the kitchen. Kakashi had set her to guarding the bridge builder since he was near useless and she already had a good feel for chakra control. He had given her a few prods towards working on Genjutsu. Kakashi was almost convinced now that she would have a talent for it and it would round out the team just a little bit.

Kakashi sighed as well watching after the two boys. As far as he could tell the two were just not grasping the finer points of their lesson. Each had gotten to about a halfway mark and stalled. Probably because they were both so distracted with each other and were prodding each other to screw up.

"Hey what's up with this picture?" Sakura was standing near a picture frame on the wall. "It looks like someone was ripped out…"

Kakashi had noticed the little silent boy, who only seemed to come out for meals, had taken quite a few glances at the very same picture Sakura was inquiring about.

"It's my husband…"

Tsunami's quiet little admittance was enough for them to get the rest. Tazuna also seemed to deflate a little at her whispered answer.

"He was considered a hero in this land…"

At this Inari stood and ran off. Tsunami stopped what she was doing and raced after the boy, giving her father a very disapproving look as she went. Sakura seemed to sadden a bit by this whole exchange, somewhat guilty over causing it.

"Remember what I said earlier…" the bridge builder hung his head and steepled his fingers in front of him, looking at the door at which the boy had just fled. His comment had been directed only at Sakura and Kakashi sat back to watch. "Inari was the first child to suffer the consequences of what Gato does here."

"But…"

"The man missing from the picture was Inari's stepfather. He was a good man, a strong man. He stood up for our village against Gato, even started the idea of this bridge so that we could open up commerce and trade. But he became too much of a threat. Gato had him taken care of, in public, to serve as a reminder to the rest of us."

"That's…that's horrible." Sakura whispered. Apparently she and the bridge builder had a conversation during her time guarding him and she had known what he meant. "Why would anyone do something like that?"

"There are some evil people in the world, Sakura." Kakashi shrugged a bit. "Why does Inari keep watching us?"

"Huh?" Tazuna straightened and then shook his head. "So he's been shadowing you all has he? He was very upset when I said I was going to complete the bridge, even more so when I set out for Konoha. Inari probably disapproves of you being here because you will bring Gato's attention again."

"Poor Inari…"

Kakashi quietly excused himself and allowed the two to keep up their little secret inside knowledge. He slipped outside as Sakura finished with the dishes for Tsunami and the bridge builder went off by himself. So that was the story behind the little boy? He had just assumed that he was shy and unwilling to trust strangers but it was a bit more subtle than that. Inari must have believed them harbingers of doom for the remainder of his family.

He inadvertently ran into the woman, standing not too far away from the house, Tsunami had her hands clutched in front of her as she watched ahead of her. Kakashi came up beside her and looked to where her eyes were riveted. There was Inari, effectively upset most likely because of what Tazuna had said but he was not alone.

Kakashi was a little shocked to find Ririshii sitting right next to the boy, quietly licking at the boys face. In between little hiccups and sobs Inari was spilling his guts to the large dog that had slipped out without anyone's notice.

"They're all gonna die." Inari reached up and grabbed around the dog's neck in a final little sob. "Why don't they just give up and stay safe?"

"I don't know how to bring him back." Tsunami was quietly speaking wringing her hands in front of her. "He used to be so happy, now…"

"He's very young yet." Kakashi muttered back, sticking his hands into his vest pockets watching Riri being what he was best, a sounding board. "Sometimes they surprise you. Take Naruto…" Kakashi was aware her full attention was now on him. "Would you believe he used to be just like Inari?"

"No." Tsunami laughed a little. "He seems like a very brave boy."

"He used to shrink and hide and be a shadow. He always stayed close to the Hokage or his teachers, until one day he just decided not to be afraid anymore." Kakashi left out a lot of the details but the thought remained the same. "Maybe it will be the same for Inari. But just letting him avoid what happened won't make it any better."

Tsunami went back to keeping an eye on her son. She would not believe it, more than likely she wanted to avoid what had happened as well. Was that not the same reaction many had to such a horrible loss? It was either depression or blind anger and either one was bad for them. He had stuck his nose in far enough though and he turned back to the house to keep watch.

The first to come back was Tsunami and Inari. The two went upstairs with little words. Riri was not far behind and took up a spot near the door. That left Kakashi and Sakura alone downstairs. It was quite peaceful in the evening hours, the sound of the water slowly coming up and down around the posts that supported part of the house had a lulling sensation to it.

Sakura was soon asleep nearby. Kakashi was surprised at how well she had come around with just a little prodding but she had miles to go yet. He would have to think of some ways to get the girl to stand more on her own.

Kakashi welcomed the darkness and rested peacefully in a windowsill as was his own habit. He never really 'slept' on missions, he was usually alone and too aware of his surroundings to ever really fall all the way asleep but he could rest enough to not be just adding salt to the wound of already over using his Sharingan.

He woke to the door creaking open slowly and smirked a bit as Sasuke came trudging in but being silent about it. The Uchiha seemed to note his presence and Sakura's and then went upstairs to the room Tsunami had set up for them. Sasuke looked ragged and just a little worn but for the past few days both he and Naruto had been focused on only one thing: the top of the tree.

Sasuke was a good example of the other reaction to a horrible loss. The Uchiha Clan massacre had come as a great surprise to most and little surprise to others. Uchiha Itachi had always been just slightly off. He was smart, talented, dedicated, and as long as Fugaku was pushing the boy there was no end to his heights. But perhaps that pushing and prodding had been the start of something, and finally Itachi gave in and truly snapped. Why he had only spared Sasuke was always the question many had but Kakashi could figure, from the short amount of time he saw the other Uchiha in ANBU, was Itachi knew Sasuke was like him. Given any sort of chance, Fugaku would push Sasuke as he had Itachi. Maybe Itachi felt he was freeing Sasuke from all of that.

But Sasuke's response to his brother's deed had been blind fury. Sasuke only wished to destroy his brother for what he had done to their clan. And that wish for revenge pushed him much in the same way Fugaku had pushed Itachi.

Yet Kakashi could see little glimmers of hope there. Sasuke was talking more to both Sakura and Naruto. He was engaging them, and looking out for them. Maybe they could nip this in the bud before Sasuke was too far gone.

The rest of the night was quiet and peaceful. Kakashi knew what Naruto was doing more than likely but allowed the boy to try it his way. After all that was normal for Naruto. He would sneak off sometime in the evening and not come back till predawn hours, so perhaps alone Naruto would find whatever revelation he needed about his chakra control and be better for it.

Or he hurt himself inadvertently. Kakashi could not help but think it as the sun rose outside. Birds had begun flitting around in the early morning hours and the sun glinted off the water in little sparkles. Riri stood, stretched and yawned nearby. Kakashi smirked to himself as the dog came to sit at his feet. He also had noticed another early riser; Inari.

"Oh good," Kakashi talked to Inari directly and caught the boy before he could get too far away from him. "I was hoping someone was up. Maybe you could do me a favor? Go find Naruto for breakfast, sometimes the knucklehead likes to sleep outside."

"But how..." Inari had begun to sputter nervously as Kakashi picked the child up effortlessly. Kakashi walked over to Ririshii, now standing up and watching, and deposited Inari on the dog's back.

"Ririshii will help you find him." Kakashi waved and walked upstairs to avoid any protest. Riri took off with Inari clutching desperately to his back as the dog moved to not give the boy a chance to get away. He caught Tsunami as he went up the stairs and waved as he passed her. "Don't worry. Riri or Naruto won't let anything happen to him, he'll be safe."

"Arigatou." Was all she whispered in response.

* * *

It was one of the best things about being outdoors. It was quiet and peaceful all around. He was pretty sure birds were landing on him but Naruto could not care, they were not really bothering him anyways. Naruto quietly breathed in the cool comfort of the grass beneath him, not really sure where he was. The sun had risen finally high enough and was warming him as he lay with his arms outstretched and on his back in the forest undergrowth beneath him. In his right hand a kunai was still clutched and behind him a tree looked as if a feral cat had used the tree as a giant scratching post.

"_Oh yeah, the tree." _

He remembered staying well into the late hours trying to get up the tree. Just because Sasuke was giving up did not mean he was going to give up and he would beat Sasuke to the top, just to be able to brag for a good week about it.

Sasuke had surprised him though. Sometime after dinner as they both struggled to get up the tree with just their feet Sasuke had purposefully asked him what advice Sakura had given him earlier. Naruto knew Sasuke had waited till he had been completely focused on his feet.

Naruto refused and they both were racing again.

He knew it was not comradeship he was sharing with Sasuke at this particular point. He should have been willing to share his knowledge, gleaned from Sakura, to help better the team. Both of them were completely ingrained to beating the other now so there was no helpful advice between them.

Naruto had stayed in the cold night; the tree only lit by the full moon above, until he finally fell back into the grass and lay panting. At some point he gave into sleep, idly wondering if this was what it felt like to be completely exhausted of chakra…

"_Nah…I can still move, I'm just tired." _He remembered thinking happily comparing himself to Kakashi and his brother's track record. After all had Kakashi not told Naruto he had more chakra than he did?

So now he just laid there in the grass as the morning dragged on and began to mull over this lesson that was starting to drive him insane. Just as he and Sasuke had complained about at the beginning, they were more focused on learning the jutsu not the actual theory behind it. Instead they always guessed. And Kakashi had a point; guessing and throwing around all that chakra around did limit their range.

It was just frustrating that Sasuke and he were failing so horribly at finding the right, subtle mix.

Of course he was beating himself up a little as well. Earlier on the first day he remembered tripping. And at the time he merely berated himself for doing so in front of Sasuke and Sakura. But the more he thought about it the more it bothered him. He had not just tripped over his own two feet and he had made certain of clearing any debris from in front of his tree so not to trip. But he had tripped. And slowly it dawned on him that he had not tripped….he had found the right mix of chakra before taking off and his foot had stuck to the ground inadvertently.

But how did he get back to that mix? Could he even remember what he was doing at that moment a few days ago?

So far the answer was a NO.

"This is stupid he looks dead already."

Naruto's awareness shot upwards a bit noting how far the voice was from him and the fact that he did not recognize who was speaking. Quietly he clutched at his kunai just a little tighter and waited to see what happened next.

"Come on Ririshii; let's go back before someone finds us… Mom's gonna be angry that guy stuck me with this…"

"Mother was in the stairs."

Naruto smirked and cracked a blue eye open to see Ririshii standing with a little dark haired boy on his back. It was Inari. Naruto had not recognized the voice because so far he had not heard Inari speak.

"And not dead, awake." Ririshii snorted and wagged his tail at Naruto as he crept closer with his passenger.

Inari merely blinked at Naruto and then began to blush madly before turning his gaze away to the forest around them. Naruto was a little surprised that Inari was not more shocked by his dog's ability to talk. Instead it seemed that Inari was already aware of that trait. Perhaps Riri had been entertaining himself as well.

"Morning." Naruto yawned and sat up to stretch. "What'd he send you two to check up on me? Or did you just felt like being a pony today Riri?"

Riri said nothing in return and blinked up at the boy who glanced down at the dog and then up to Naruto in a frustrated gesture. Naruto got it. Riri wanted Inari to tell him why they were there, but why?

"That teacher of yours said it was time for breakfast and to come get you." Inari finally ground out, sounding angry about the whole thing.

"Oh you can talk then?" Naruto laughed as Inari sputtered and glared at him from beneath his hat's rim. "I was beginning to wonder if you were a ghost or something."

"I can talk I just don't wanna talk to you guys." Inari crossed his arms in front of him and turned his eyes away again. "Stupid ninja…"

Naruto cocked his head a bit to get a better look at the kid's face. He looked upset and irritated but his posture said he was afraid. Why would he be angry at the people protecting his grandfather?

"Gato will come sooner or later and kill you all. That's what he does." Inari finally speared him again with dark brown eyes that spoke volumes more than the kid's biting words. "He'll kill you and then that teacher and then…"

Inari stopped abruptly and turned away, wriggling his way off of Riri's back. Riri stopped him from getting too far away from them by reaching out and snagging the back of his shirt. Naruto realized the dog was just as tall as the boy.

"Then your grandfather and your mother. Am I right?"

The way the kid's eyes turned on him and the way his face drained of color Naruto could guess he had hit the nail on the head.

"I don't know why you're so afraid of this 'Gato' guy. If he's sending other people to do his job I think that means he's pretty useless on his own." Naruto began to scratch at a spot on his head. The one bad thing about sleeping outdoors was the insects and he was betting a mosquito got a good meal or two last night."You really should start standing up for yourself."

"No way that's what gets you killed." Inari shot back defiantly.

Naruto stood and stretched some more. Man he was stiff and sore. Again he watched Inari, frustrated and fighting to get away from Ririshii. Naruto reached down and patted the dog on the head a bit and Riri's tail wagged in response but he did not lose his hold on Inari's shirt.

"Then I guess your family will die then." Naruto growled a bit and watched as the boy stopped struggling and turned on him with the most astonished look on his face. Naruto shrugged a bit and began to walk back in the direction of the builder's home.

"Hey! What do you mean by that?!"

"I mean we are not going to be here forever. Sooner or later something else will come up, either this Gato or someone like him and we won't be here to stop it like this time." Naruto blinked back at Inari, painfully aware that they were somewhat alike. "And if you aren't willing to stand up for your family then they will die."

"But…I'm…" Inari grabbed Riri's thick fur and pulled himself closer to the dog that finally released Inari and let his head rest over the small boy's shoulder. Maybe that was what Riri was doing, trying to encourage the boy to speak to them. "What can one person do???"

"Lots." Naruto turned fast on his heel and grinned widely at the little boy. "One person can inspire others, and then those others go find more to share their belief. One person can decide to start something…"

"But!" Inari began to scramble after Naruto as he began walking again. "I'm just a kid."

"Me too." Naruto reached down to snag the boy's hat and held it just out of his reach. "I'm only twelve you know. Same with my teammates. Sure we don't know a whole lot yet but we're willing to try at least. You just want to go in a corner somewhere and cry."

Inari merely hung his head and walked silently with Naruto and Riri, Riri bringing up the rear. As they neared the path that led back to the village Ririshii stopped abruptly and his pointed ears went rigid and his head went behind them. Naruto stopped too and watched ready for whatever it was Riri sensed, but somewhat afraid that perhaps Zabuza had returned. There was no way he would be able to protect Inari if that was the case.

As Riri lowered his head and haunches and began growling, Naruto quietly reached into his kunai pouch and wrapped his hand around the familiar metal within. He waited to pull the weapon out till he could find what it was that had set Riri off. Naruto started when Inari reached out and grabbed at his pant leg and held on for dear life.

Finally a figure emerged from the trees around. It was a young woman with a basket and looked as if she was picking something up out in the forest. She stopped as she saw the three of them and Naruto put his arm slightly around Inari and put the boy behind him. She smiled a bit and waved a little and then began walking off silently humming. Naruto was not sure what had just happened as he began to relax a bit more as she went off.

He looked down at Riri who had yet to let up with his growling.

"Riri-san?" He whispered and Riri responded by backing up slowly to them and lowering his guard finally.

"Smelled the same." Ririshii replied back. "But did not look the same."

"You mean you recognize that scent?"

"Hai."

Naruto looked down the path the woman had gone. Perplexed and worried. So far they had not met too many here in the Land of Wave so who was that? Why did Riri recognize the scent and why had he gone on the defensive?

But the longer they stood there the longer they were out in the open and if that was a scout then they would soon be targets. Naruto tugged on Inari a bit and whistled to Riri, still standing at attention and watching the same path as before. They had to get back to the house; something did not feel right.

"Remember something Inari." Naruto finally brought up after they neared the boy's home. "There is safety in numbers."

* * *

**Author note x2:**woooo another wall o text. Slow chapter I'm afraid but the next will be quite fun and delicious. Or so I hope. Yes, I kinda did leave out Haku and Naruto's meeting….yes maybe a reason for that, cause honestly he would not have the same conversation as they would before and perhaps not quite see each other as the same in this instance. *rubs hands together as she plots* Oh and as for my odd message about my ipod and my music library XD I thought I'd share that with you all. I find music quite inspiring. I'd love to have the job of making music videos ….they'd be weird and all fantasy and what not but hey that's what gets the plot bunnies hopping. YAY MUSIC!


	7. Demons of Snow and Ice

**The Fox and the Hound**

Chapter 6:Devils of Snow and Ice

**Chapter Summary:**Zabuza and his tracker Nin approach, and the Leaf Nin finally learn what it means to be a team.

**Author note: **Sorry again. I actually got some work as a freelance photographer this past week. Kinda nice and kinda busy at the same time. But I made up for it with super long chapter this time around ;D Oh and hey…big thanks to all you guys reviewing and adding. Thanks so much for the praise and the input!!! It really makes my day!

* * *

Naruto found himself glancing around in the dull moonlight with an odd mix of exhaustion and utter amazement. The view from the top of the tree was absolutely amazing, who knew that each of the trees in the dense forest could reach up this far over the canopy and give such a view. Behind him the moon shone bright and full, illuminating everything within a good couple of miles of him and giving everything an almost eerily light.

And despite being utterly exhausted by this point in the day he grinned a big goofy grin and silently chuckled to himself. He finally had found the 'sweet' spot so to speak and had unlocked the puzzle to the control needed for this particular exercise. Maybe now that he had gotten up the tree and could walk its length at his leisure Kakashi would start showing him something more useful and interesting.

Behind him the silhouette of a large bridge loomed. Naruto had spent most of this late evening admiring the metal work being done day in and day out. Despite having been quite put off by Tazuna at the first meeting Naruto could see the skill the man had and his dedication to this particular project. He was wasting no time on the bridge's construction.

The Bridge Builder was nearing his goal at last. Sure, it had been a few weeks since they had arrived by now but Naruto could assume that what Tazuna had accomplished in that time was no small feat. Especially taking into consideration that almost every day one of his workers would get intimidated and would quit. Sakura seemed more and more depressed each time she would return with the bridge builder and she would tell them what she saw.

Naruto was almost thankful he was not going out with the Bridge Builder on a daily basis. If it was enough to depress the normally bubbly pink-haired girl, it was probably going to be enough to bring him down as well, and that helped no one. They had to be focused on the mission and their objective. Of course that did not mean they could not notice what they saw.

Slowly Kakashi was returning to normal. The Jounin was a bit more active and no longer needed the crutch to balance. Naruto noticed the gray-haired man testing his muscles and a few times out late as he was but preferred to leave Kakashi to his own mechanics. Something told Naruto he would only be in the way so he did stay away.

Not only that but he was becoming more aware of the scrutiny each and every interaction he had with Kakashi was gaining from his teammates.

Kakashi was acting himself entirely so Naruto was certain it was what he himself said and did that was drawing the attention. What he was doing, he was not sure, but both Sasuke and Sakura seemed more and more intent on watching him.

Not that Kakashi did not warrant some attention himself from the two eagle-eyed Genin; it was just that those same two teammates usually directed their attention to Naruto right after. The behavior most in question was Kakashi's odd pattern of watches. Some days Kakashi would follow Sakura and Tazuna to the bridge and other days he seemed completely content on lounging in the windowsills of the home while only Sakura left with Tazuna.

Naruto and Sasuke were still throwing themselves at trees, in the hopes of sticking, but Sakura was convinced they knew what he was doing all that time sitting in the home instead of doing as their mission directed and protecting the bridge builder.

Oh Naruto had an idea alright he just did not voice it. Their mission directed that they protect the Bridge Builder, which was undisputable. However, now that they had pretty much led the enemy to the Bridge Builder's home and family who was to say someone would not try to use Inari or Tsunami to bend Tazuna's will?

That was Kakashi's true reason for staying behind some days and not others. There was a chance that someone would try to do just that and he wanted to be sure. Still, it did put the bridge builder in some danger when he did do that. Sakura was all well and good while they were sure that the ex-Mist Ninja was recovering but if someone of any threat did target Tazuna, Sakura was going to be of little deterrence.

They all could feel the looming threat. That was the main reason that Sakura flipped out whenever Kakashi stayed behind to guard the mother and son and why he and Sasuke had started intensifying their race to the top. They all knew Zabuza was coming back and this time he was probably going to have help.

Ririshii sneezed below and it drew Naruto's attention downward. Most nights Naruto lagged behind when Sasuke finally decided to give up for the day and he got to think. But lately he found he had company. Inari, who at first had been shy and dismissive of them had started to warm up to Naruto. Naruto was surprised at first, sure that his words the other day had been harsh enough to drive the boy away from him. In fact it had done the opposite. Instead Inari would quietly follow him around or come out to the forest with Riri at his side and just watch.

Just like tonight. Inari was curled up securely at Riri's flank, his white hat slightly covering his face from the annoying moonlight. Riri's tail was curled protectively around one of the boy's arms and the dog quietly laid with his head between his paws, ears swiveling around taking in all of the sounds of the evening bugs and creatures.

Naruto wondered if Tsunami was worrying to death about this new behavior in her son but Naruto himself did not mind the distraction Inari provided. And Ririshii was proving a better teacher than Kakashi at the present.

Imagine Naruto's surprise when his dog came bounding up to stop his fall one night at a particularly high branch. He at first had winced and yelped; the dog's teeth had cut in a little to his skin but then Naruto had been intrigued by Riri's performance. Apparently the dog had been working well away from any of the Genin at the same lesson and had effectively caught up to Sakura's level of control.

And even better, Riri's advice was much more precise and conductive than Sakura's had been. This time Sasuke was present as the dog explained how he came about finding the right balance of chakra and both boys had finally started to creep their way up the tree. In all actuality Naruto and Sasuke had reached the top about two days ago. Naruto merely stayed out late to think and to scout ahead. Much like Sakura his nerves were getting the better of him.

Kakashi had tried to calm his fears a bit, explaining one night that what the Tracker had done to Zabuza would have taken just as long to recover from as Kakashi's exhaustion, if not a little longer. Naruto was no convinced wholly. That guy did not seem the type to just lie around for weeks.

But Kakashi's observation had merit too. They had not run into any problems besides a few pickpockets since they arrived in Tazuna's village. Naruto had caught one of the perpetrators but could tell the man did not want to do what he was actually doing and had let him glide by without so much as interrupting him. Naruto could clearly see the guilt written on his face and knew the man was stealing to survive. That was why Tazuna was building the bridge after all. Hopefully Tazuna could complete it with little interruption and the people here could have a real chance of recovering.

"_And so Inari can see that not backing down has its rewards." _He thought quietly as he began a slow amble down the side of the tree.

That was his true motive now that he could get up to the top of the tree. He could get up and down with the proper speed and concentration but to just stick to the tree like Kakashi had done during his demonstration still felt shaky and uncertain for him.

As he neared the ground Riri's ears swiveled backwards towards him exclusively. His tail wagged only a little and Naruto grinned. Sakura and Sasuke had asked Naruto on multiple occasions why he was not jealous of the way Riri followed Inari around like he did. They both were confused by how little he cared. Naruto merely saw Riri doing for Inari that he had done for him on multiple occasions; he was being a friend.

Naruto pushed off from the tree gently and flipped down beside the shepherd and the boy. Inari was out cold and did not stir at all as Naruto landed. Naruto sat down slowly and cuddled up to Riri and ran his hand between the dog's ears a few times before just letting his hand rest in the familiar scruff of black fur. Ririshii huffed contently and nuzzled his head into Naruto's lap.

"Control is getting better. You can stay on the tree longer."

"I suppose so." Naruto glanced up at the long forgotten scars he had placed in the tree's thick bark. "I don't feel as shaky as before either, but I'm still nervous I'm gonna pop right off at any time."

Riri snorted and shook his massive head. "Never enough, always to the next point."

They sat in silence as Naruto pondered about spending one more night out in the forest. It really was not going to hurt them any. It was not too cold or too hot and it was a clear sky above so there was no worries of rain. Inari did not seem to be cold or uncomfortable rested up against Riri and Naruto and the dog had stayed out plenty of more times than this.

"I'm curious."

Naruto's hand shot to his kunai pouch just as the peaceful quiet was broken by a husky voice just above and behind his head. Riri bared his teeth and his dark brown eyes went up the same direction that Naruto believed the voice had sounded from. Naruto finally yanked a kunai free and flung it as hard as he could to where he thought the speaker was but only heard the metal thump as the kunai met the tree.

"I am not here to harm you."

Naruto snarled involuntarily as his dark blue eyes darted around trying to find the speaker. The voice was light and husky; it also seemed to be coming from one direction and then the next. Riri also seemed to have trouble focusing in on whoever it was that had snuck up on them, as his ears were flicking back and forth furiously as his own eyes searched the darkness.

"Then come out where I can see you." Naruto dared the voice even though he was sure that would not happen. Had the person wanted to be seen they would have come out already and just confronted him.

There was a long pause as the breeze picked up around them. Naruto tensed and fingered another kunai comfortingly. He was not entirely sure he could hit anyone if they were honestly trying to come at him but something about the voice's tone and words rang true. Maybe it was because if the person had wanted to hurt him they would have taken a shot at him as he was coming down the tree and his focus was otherwise occupied.

"I think that would be unwise."

Naruto sighed heavily and briefly closed his eyes. He knew that would not have worked but it was worth trying. So now what? Run? No that was too hard with Inari with him and the boy asleep for now. Fight? Naruto was not even sure he knew what he was up against. Perhaps then quell the curiosity and see what it was the voice was after?

"You said you were curious? What about?" Naruto finally asked into the wind as he faced forward, still not sure where it was the hidden entity was.

"I am curious about you. You are….strange." The voice answered back and the hesitation was not lost on Naruto. The tone implied a true confusion but Naruto still kept his hand at his Kunai. It could all be a trick to lull him into a sense of security and then the attacker could strike.

"Why are you out here alone?" the voice continued on when Naruto did not immediately answer.

"I would think that's obvious." Naruto snuffed a bit. "I'm training."

"What are you training for?"

"I'm a ninja." Naruto frowned and glanced around again. "We're supposed to train and become stronger aren't we?"

Naruto knew he fishing slightly with the last sentence. 'We' implied them both and maybe the voice would give away if he was a ninja or if he was something else entirely.

"I suppose that is one way to see it." The voice pondered out loud. Naruto could hear a slight sigh of regret to his left and turned his head in that general direction. "Still you and that dog are quite exposed out here…"

Naruto flicked out another kunai and pointed it in the right direction again, but this time he did not let it loose. "I would say the same to you; you're also out here alone."

Well he was not one-hundred percent on that but he was praying that the speaker was alone.

"Am I?" the voice held a lilt too it that belied the speaker was amused by Naruto's assessment. "That does not answer my curiosity though. Why are you and that dog training so hard? Your teammate gave up hours ago and yet you still remain. "

Naruto tensed up and frowned. This person, whoever it was, had been watching them for a while now. For whatever reason this person was keeping tabs on their movements and that could only mean two things: he really was curious or he was sent to keep an eye on the Leaf Ninja. Naruto frowned down at Ririshii, still silently snarling with his lips curled up around shining white canines and for a second he glanced at Inari. Finally he returned his attention to the voice and the direction it was coming from.

"I am training to protect them." He responded the only way he knew how. "Sooner or later we are going to have to fight again and I have to be able to stop it."

"You realize you are not match for him don't you?"

"_Damn it!" _Naruto felt a cold spike lance down his spine. _"He knows about Zabuza, which means he works for him…he knows…he's here for a reason." _

And yet Naruto still found himself answering the lingering question. "I still have to try."

The voice was silent for a long time. Naruto could not help but fidget under the intensity that came along with that silence. Was the person sent here to keep tabs on them or was this an advanced scout and now they were just sitting targets?

Why had he allowed Inari to keep coming out here? It was stupid of him to think that he was capable of keeping himself, Riri, and Inari from harm if someone came upon them. Naruto nervously clutched at Riri's fur and felt the tensioning of the muscles beneath the dog's skin. They needed to figure out a way to flush out their visitor, at least then they stood some small chance, but as it stood an attack could be coming from any direction now.

"They are precious to you then?"

"Of course they…" Naruto began to say as he cocked his head to the side. What kind of question was that? Why else would he want to protect them? They were his friends after all….his family.

"Even that boy?"

"Shit." Naruto whispered desperately as he moved himself in front of Inari keeping himself between the boy and the direction he thought the voice was coming from. Was the true reason the voice was here? Was he here to capture or kill Inari?

"You don't even know that boy and yet you would give your life for him?" There was a hint of disbelief in the voice's tone as it spoke this time. Naruto relaxed a fraction and concentrated again on the words not the implied threat.

"He's just a kid; he didn't do anything to anyone. No way am I just gonna let someone hurt him."

"I see…" the voice went on lazily. "You understand then, what it means to be strong."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Naruto did his best to sound put off by the comment. Maybe if he kept the person talking he could stall long enough for Kakashi or Sasuke to come find him for breakfast. Naruto really wanted Riri to snag Inari and to rush back to the bridge builder's home as quickly as possible. And yet he could see the action provoking a reaction from his guest. So he just stood there conversing with the wind.

"You are striving to protect those who are close to you, that is true strength and true honor." The voice went on to explain itself. "Your teammate merely wishes to prove his superiority where as you only want to prove your worth. You know what it means to be alone…to be useless…and you do not want to go back to that do you?"

Naruto snarled as he inched himself a little bit away from Riri and Inari. If this was one of Zabuza's lackey's why was he so concerned with Naruto's strength? One would think the focus would be on Kakashi and whether or not the Jounin had recovered fully or was still recovering. Instead he was here commenting on Naruto's abilities. This was all too confusing.

"Just who the hell are you?"

"No one really…" the voice sounded disinterested now. "I was merely curious."

"Seems like a stupid thing to be curious about." Naruto slowly lowered his kunai and glanced around in the eerie pale light. "Well maybe I'm curious too. What are you doing out here alone?"

At this the voice laughed a little and Naruto could imagine a small smirk on whoever's face was hiding in the darkness. "Like you, I am merely thinking."

"Who said that's what I was doing?"

"You seemed to be in thought." Again the voice sounded lighter, almost toying with Naruto. "You stay out alone because it helps you concentrate better….to think. I see you improve leaps and bounds when the other boy is gone."

Naruto huffed and folded his arms in front of him. Yet another odd observation and one that belied that the voice had been watching for a long time. He knew what Naruto did when Sasuke was around and when Sasuke was away.

"But I must be going."

"Hey! Wait…" Naruto began to move forward, unsure as to why he wanted to stop the voice from leaving. He could sense that the voice was already gone by the time he reacted but he still glanced around for any clues as to who it had been. Naruto was confused and concerned. Why had the voice even talked to him at all? All the questioning and the words seemed pointless and nothing of real value was obtained by either side.

"Smelled like the tracker…" Riri snuffed into the dirt quietly. "Something weird about him…something odd."

"Yeah no kidding." Naruto frowned behind him to Inari, still sleeping on and oblivious to the conversation that had just occurred in his presence. If it had been the tracker, the one who saved Zabuza's life, why hadn't he taken the initiative and killed Naruto and Inari? "We should go back to the house. That was just a little too creepy for me."

Riri stood slowly and nuzzled his way under Inari, maneuvering until the boy was sprawled out on his back but balanced well enough on his back so Riri could carry Inari back. Ririshii took up the lead and Naruto came up to his flank just in case Inari shifted his weight or they were forced to run suddenly. As they made their way back Inari would mumble or mutter something intelligible and then snuggle in tighter to the dog.

Naruto was still surprised that the kid was still sleeping. He inwardly wished he could just as easily slip into a coma like Inari seemed to and sleep deeply. Sadly he was pretty sure he was never really able to do that. He was just too used to staying alert and on edge. He knew better than to let his guard down, even as a kid.

They finally made it back to the house and Naruto quietly slipped the door open and let Riri and his cargo in. He patted Riri's head fondly before the shepherd moved for the stairs and took Inari upstairs. Naruto quietly sat and began taking off his shoes and slipped off his headband and placed both at the door.

"I'm surprised you came back tonight."

Naruto smirked over his shoulder to Kakashi, still perched at his watch. Kakashi's eagle eye was watching him and seemed to take on a more interested color to it than his usual nonchalance. Naruto stood and quietly made his way over to the window where his brother sat and glanced back out into the darkness not sure what to expect. Naruto almost expected to sense the voice's return but knew there was not anything out in the dark waters that Kakashi would not already be aware of.

"Everything okay?"

"Hai, I think so." Naruto nodded a bit and frowned. Kakashi had sat up a bit and had his arms wrapped around his knees and was glancing out the same way that Naruto was. "Just weird is all."

"Oh? What's that?"

"Someone talked to me tonight. I never saw him, he didn't show his face, but I think they've been watching us a while." Naruto took a quick glance at Kakashi whose eye was now focused outside to the same darkness Naruto was focused in on. "Inari was with me, I couldn't make a move, but after he asked a few questions he was gone."

"What was he interested in?"

"Me…for some reason. Why I was training and why I was so keen on protecting Inari when I didn't even know him."

"Well you are odd…" Kakashi jabbed a little and smirked beneath his mask. "You attract attention…"

"I wasn't trying to."

"I wasn't saying that you were." Kakashi rebuked. "It's just a trait is all. Do you know why you are so keen on protecting Inari?"

The question was bait, Naruto could tell. He glanced at Kakashi, still keeping his gaze outside rather than on Naruto. Naruto glanced back outside as well and frowned some more. This was a stupid question to but one he was having a hard time answering.

"All that time pestering the Hokage and you never heard of the Will of Fire." Kakashi seemed to sigh a bit. "I would think though…that is what this spy was referring to. Your will to protect is stronger than he expected and it surprised him. Most people would have abandoned the Bridge Builder by now."

Naruto sighed and leaned on the windowsill a bit, using his arms as props as he watched the moon glinting off water's surface. It was not just him staying behind to protect Tazuna. Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke had stayed as well so why had the voice focused in on him? What made his staying any different than theirs?

"Finally at the top of the tree I hear." Kakashi stretched momentarily and then leaned back into the frame of the window, closing his one eye as he went. "Something finally clicked."

"Right….no Riri finally showed me." Naruto smirked evilly over at Kakashi now. "You should take pointers on teaching from him, Sensei!"

"Why stay out then if you've completed the training?" Kakashi ignored the jab completely, which was not all together unexpected.

"I'm working on endurance." Naruto stated matter-of-factly. "I wanna be able to stand there as I please, not just walk up and down."

"Ah, well then I suppose that is a noble pursuit." Kakashi responded lightly. "However, if you said this spy of yours has been watching you long enough to make assumptions then I would think we should be preparing for the worst, don't you?"

"Hai, I think so." Naruto agreed quickly with Kakashi's assessment. He knew Kakashi had to feel the same way as he did; that sooner or later Zabuza would be after the bridge builder again and they would need to stay together. But who was to say where and when the Demon of the Mist would strike.

"Better rest up then."

"I could say the same to you, **sensei.**" Naruto laughed as he pushed away from the window and went about taking the same path that Riri had taken. He entered the room that Tsunami had set up for the Leaf Ninja and found his teammates, thankfully, asleep as well. Riri lay at the end of his bed and still had Inari lying haphazardly upon his back, using the dog's own head as a pillow.

Naruto laughed and quietly placed himself beneath the covers and wriggled his feet beneath the shepherd's familiar mass.

"Let's see Riri, the kid has used you as a pony, a sounding board, and now a pillow." He whispered down to the dog. He closed his eyes as he quietly smiled. Even with the nerves and anxiety he felt at the prospect of facing Zabuza again he was quick to slip into a light sleep. Despite the fear, despite the doubt, he knew he they would find a way to overcome the Mist Ninja.

And Kakashi would keep them safe.

* * *

The next morning Naruto was hazily aware of movement around his person. He ignored it though and buried his head in his pillow. The bad thing about spending most of his nights out late was the trouble he normally had in dragging himself out of bed the next morning. This was no exception and until he found Kakashi ordering him up Naruto was going to stay in the nice warm embrace of sleep.

And for a moment he almost thought it was coming. Kakashi's presence was distinctive and one that Naruto knew intimately for a long time now. He could tell the Jounin was standing there, Naruto just chose to ignore him. He was going to wait till Kakashi spoke and then get up, looking like he was put off. Instead he heard Kakashi sigh and walk away.

"Leave him here for now. Bets are he finally overdid himself last night. He won't be able to move today."

Naruto mentally took note of the explanation and was sure it was directed at Sakura or Sasuke….maybe both. But he also heard the level in which Kakashi was speaking. Kakashi wanted to let him know he was staying here. Okay so he got to play silent sentry duty today while the other three went to the bridge with Tazuna.

He predictably heard the huff of frustration from Sasuke but heard absolutely nothing from Sakura. Naruto snuggled into the blankets as he heard their footfalls leaving and fading from his awareness. He was okay with this arrangement; he really did want to sleep in. Riri was still at his feet too so he had his own sentry set up and hopefully there would be no trouble.

Naruto was not sure how long he lay there, drifting in and out of sleep, enjoying the lazy feel of it. Still it came as a shock when a loud crash broke the peace that allowed him to stay asleep. Naruto sat up like a rocket, checking to see that indeed Sakura and Sasuke were already gone. He found himself alone in the room, Ririshii at his feet and Inari still on his back. Both the dog and the boy were awake now too, the dog's ears pointed upright and towards the door of the room and Inari looking to Naruto for some kind of confirmation of what they had just heard.

"What's going…" Inari was about to ask when a scream followed the loud crash. It cleared the confusion for the three of them and without a thought Inari shot off for the stairs. "Mom!!!"

Naruto moved quickly and got ahead of Inari, ignoring the fact that he had no shoes or his headband. He just reacted. He passed Inari in the hallway and basically leapt down the stairs, barely touching the wooden surface of them before landing at the bottom and began looking around wildly.

He finally found the source of the disturbance. Two men stood in the kitchen with katana held out threateningly. They had Tsunami backed into a corner and were chuckling to themselves as they closed in on the dark haired woman. As Naruto came to a halt in the doorway their attention turned from Tsunami to him.

"Oh, what's this?" The one decked out entirely in gray asked, pointing his sword up so that the tip pointed directly at Naruto's chest. "Get lost punk, this doesn't involve you."

Naruto caught Tsunami's eye just as Inari came flying down the stairs and then to a screeching halt behind him. He was wide-eyed and transfixed on his mother, sitting on the floor and a broken dish scattered about the floor. Tsunami's eyes said it all in just the amount of time Naruto kept his gaze on her. She wanted him to protect Inari but Naruto was sure that Inari would never forgive him if something happened to his mother. Without another thought Naruto went forward to meet the two.

The one decked out in gray was much faster than the larger man with tattoos covering his chest and arms. The one in the sweater and cap darted away and Naruto's kunai met with the shirtless man's sword as the man grinned widely at Naruto.

"Well what do you know….a Ninja." The man chuckled as he kept Naruto occupied.

"If you two don't clear out of here…"

"What are you going to do about it punk?" the one in gray came up fast from behind, both men trying to pin Naruto between them.

Naruto leapt up, prayed like crazy, and stuck his feet to the ceiling. He deflected the one sword and met the next one from behind with another kunai in his off hand. For a moment they all just stood there staring and seething at one another in the still quiet that had come over the home.

"_Thank Kami it's just like the tree…." _Naruto mentally smirked as he assessed the two with him. They had said he was a ninja…well what did that make them? Not ninja. They had the swords but they seemed clumsy, almost drunk as they swung wide and often. "_Keep it up you dobe; keep the surprise on your side. Keep them unbalanced."_

Naruto came back down to the floor, flipping and kicking out as he did, and the two men stumbled back a bit from him as he landed. The larger man with tattoos was quicker to recover and was coming forward with the same wide slashing motion as he did before. Naruto could easily see the opening and darted under and to the side of him, causing the man to go forward and stumble a bit.

He switched hands and came at Naruto again and Naruto smiled. This was not too bad, the two were obviously goons sent to strong arm the two civilians. They were not ninja; they were not affiliated particularly with Zabuza.

That did not mean they were not a threat. As the tattooed man came at Naruto another time, this time looking to merely spear the Genin on his sword, Naruto caught sight of the one in the gray sweater. He was taking the more cowardly way and after recovering from Naruto's kick he was moving towards Inari. This time that man's sword was pointing at Inari's head.

"No! Wait! I'll go with you..stop…" Tsunami pleaded with him in a panic. Naruto only returned his attention to the man with the tattoos and as he neared he jumped again, only this time using the ceiling as a vaulting board and pushed off hard and back down to the man, tackling him hard into the wooden floors. The sword went flying from his hands and Naruto reached down to push at a known pressure point. He saw the man relax instantly and then turned to deal with the man in gray.

What he saw, however, was heartening to say the least. At the last second, as the man grinned and believed he had the upper hand, Inari reacted the best way he knew how. The young boy raised his foot and stomped down harshly on the man's foot, which of course yelped and jumped at the pain. Had it been a real ninja attacking the two the man would have really let Inari have it but as it was he merely snarled and threatened the boy more.

But Inari had given Ririshii an opening and the shepherd came barreling down the stairs in time to tackle the man and bite down hard into his shoulder, shaking and snarling as he went. Inari involuntarily backed away from the two but had an odd look of amazement on his face as Naruto came forward to help Riri with the remaining rounin.

Ririshii let loose on the man and as soon as he had an opening the man took off out the open door nearby. He yelped and stumbled but he fled from the house and abandoned his partner in the kitchen, still unconscious. Naruto watched him go, somewhat transfixed by the behavior but also a little proud of himself.

They may not have been ninja but he had won a fight.

THEY had won a fight.

"Inari what were you thinking!?" Tsunami came rushing forward to clutch at Inari, still standing at the base of the stairs transfixed on the same thing that Naruto was watching.

Naruto smirked at him and put his hand on Riri's head, still snarling after the retreating intruder. "Nice job Inari!"

At this Inari's focus turned to Naruto and slowly a big grin crept onto the kid's face. He had done something on his own and it had a result. One he could be proud of. He tried to smile at his mother who was now looking up to Naruto as if he was corrupting her son but also grateful at the same time.

Naruto went about grabbing his headband and slipping on his shoes as fast as he possibly could, because he knew now that the fight had started. Those two had been sent to secure the bridge builder's family just in case Zabuza failed again. Gato had hired the goons, not Zabuza.

"Riri-san, you should stay here…"

"But!"

"Think about it Riri, there might be more goons coming this way." Naruto grinned big and tightened his headband around his forehead. "Someone should stay with Tsunami-san and Inari."

He glanced into the kitchen and considered the prone giant with tattoos covering his skin. Sooner or later the man would wake up too. "But first I think we should tie him up. What do you think Inari?"

Inari nodded and rushed off upstairs, effectively freeing himself from his mother's grasp. The boy rushed and Naruto could hear his footfalls above his head. Inari wanted to help too and this was the way to make sure he stayed at home with his mother; to leave Ririshii and to give him a purpose.

"You're sensei…" Tsunami muttered up at him as she knelt on the floor nearby, still a little shaken from the whole encounter. "He said you wouldn't be able to move today…he told us to keep an eye on you."

"Huh?" Naruto blinked then smiled. "Ah I bounce back a lot quicker than he does. I think its cause I'm a kid or something." He tried to reassure her.

Slowly she smiled and nodded her head a bit. "I'm glad he left you behind with us."

Inari chose that time to return, a length of rope in his hands, probably filched from one of his grandfather's stock rooms. He smiled as he handed it to Naruto and the two went about tying up the remaining intruder. Riri came to sit at the feet of the man as they propped him up against the kitchen cabinets.

"Stay here Riri-san. Make sure he doesn't forget why he's the one tied up." Naruto patted the large head as he walked past the dog. Riri wagged his tail slowly and watch after the retreating blonde. "Don't' worry Riri! We'll be back!"

* * *

Kakashi had sensed that morning that the time for resting was over. He had mulled it over enough in his head and had plotted out the exact time such a paralyzing technique would take to recover from and for the past few weeks he had been ever alert to any changes around them. Zabuza was biding his time and analyzing what he had learned from their first little spat just like Kakashi was analyzing Zabuza.

And Naruto's encounter last night had sealed the suspicion into solid fact. That tracker ninja was keeping tabs on them as well, gathering what he could for his sempai while the Demon of the Mist recovered somewhere safe.

It was an odd way the tracker was going about it but that might be a hint to the boy's age. He was young and though he seemed quite capable and skilled, he was naïve. He was taking to observing but not finishing off until there was no other option available to him.

That morning he had made the call to just leave Naruto where he was, trapped beneath blankets, dog, and kid. Kakashi had played it off as Naruto finally reaching his limit with his training. In all honesty Naruto was the one Inari most trusted out of all of them. If anyone were to come after Tsunami or Inari Naruto would head them off. Riri was added protection.

Naturally Kakashi had thought of each of the Genin when deciding this matter. After all he would not want to be accused of favoritism or in some way trying to shield Naruto in anyway. But in the end Naruto was the obvious choice. Sasuke barely talked and Sakura was too pushy. The only one Inari had been shadowing these past few days was Naruto.

So he let Naruto sleep and smirked a little at the little pile up at the kid's feet and wondered just how a kid who literally shrunk a few years ago if anyone paid him too much attention went about making friends so damn fast.

But as they walked to the construction site Kakashi momentarily doubted this decision. If anything were to happen while they were gone… If Zabuza decided to try that approach there would be little Naruto could do.

That was the unlikely scenario in Kakashi's head. In all other scenarios Zabuza would beeline straight for Kakashi in attempt to save face. He had, after all, nearly beaten the Mist Ninja in their first spat.

As he lazily kept up the rear he could not help but notice that Sakura and Sasuke talking to each other in hushed tones as they made up the middle of their pack, just behind Tazuna. Odd, considering that Sasuke seemed to have little patience with the pink-haired girl and her attention, but it seemed the two had finally found some common ground.

Whatever it was it was a godsend because it was becoming wearisome listening to it all and not wanting to break it up for his own sanity….

Naruto's too he suspected.

As they settled in, Sakura taking up a spot along the side of the bridge and Tazuna going about his work Kakashi felt the slight itch at the back of his neck and he turned to glance behind him. There was that gnawing at his gut that he always got if he thought he forgot something.

Today they were coming, no matter what this was the end of this little battle. The bridge was almost finished, Zabuza had to have that information by now, and he would want to fill his obligation to whoever had contracted him. If not for the money now, but for the sheer pride of it all, so today he had gone with Sakura and Sasuke to the bridge.

So Kakashi was not at all surprised when the mist began to form. Workers began scattering wildly, abandoning all their work and tools, and Sakura and Sasuke slowly closed themselves in on Tazuna who took one look at him and then looked out into the unknown.

This time Zabuza appeared from the mist with a masked boy at his side. This time the Tracker was going to be aiding Zabuza, so now two against one in this scenario. As each of them readied themselves and looked through the foggy mist Zabuza's dark chuckle reached their ears.

"We meet again Kakashi."

"I was wondering when you would show up."

"Sorry to keep you waiting then." Another Zabuza said from behind. There were a good five of the man enclosing in a circle around them. "I see the brats are still with you…and the one is still trembling."

Kakashi glanced at Sasuke and smirked a little. Naruto was not the only one with wild ideas of training by himself. On more than one occasion he had found Sasuke on the other side of the forest going about his own regimen. He again glanced at the five closest to them and Tazuna and then back to Sasuke.

"I think you could handle them."

Sasuke only grinned wider and shot off with a speed most Genin did not have yet. Each of the water clones was taken out in short order until Sasuke was standing back at his original position. Positive point: the kid was talented; there was no question about that. Negative: Sakura was going to start swooning again.

"So the brat's improving." Zabuza snarled as he and the masked ninja watched on. "Looks like you have competition Haku."

"So it would seem."

So started the staring competition. Neither team wanted to make the first move and reveal their hands. Kakashi had a good feeling for Zabuza from the last fight but was unsure of what the Tracker was capable of. If the boy had earned the mask he would be a problem. If the boy had stolen the mask it still made him a threat.

"You were right." Tazuna was muttering behind him. "The boy in the mask was only pretending."

"I would assume they've been pulling a scam like this for a long time." Kakashi replied, eyeing the boy in the ANBU mask. "Convenient and convincing."

"What a phony." Sasuke snorted.

Without warning the one under scrutiny, Haku, began to move. He twirled and almost formed a small tornado on the bridge and he was headed straight for the Leaf Ninja. Before Kakashi could tell them what to do, what formation to make Sasuke moved to meet the masked ninja. And instead of worrying about it Kakashi allowed it. This was in his realm of ability.

"Sakura stay with Tazuna." He growled toward the girl, who too seemed ready to move with Sasuke. "Protect the Bridge Builder, Sasuke can handle this."

Zabuza too did not move forward. So this was a competition of their student's skill. Zabuza wanted to toy with them some more. Kakashi was reluctant to let him do so but was also a bit curious as to Zabuza's little pet.

Just as Haku neared Sasuke braced and soon the two dark haired boys were clashed together; kunai blocking throwing needles. At first they merely stared at one another, Sasuke grinning at the chance to finally use what he knew and Haku unreadable because of the ceramic mask obscuring any sign of his eyes.

"You're making a mistake." Haku said in a low monotone voice as the two stayed locked together, their hands shaking as each tried to overpower the other. "I've gained two key advantages."

"Oh yeah? What are they?"

"First? We're surrounded by water." Haku's voice seemed to lilt upwards, taking small pleasure in his advantages. "Second, I've blocked one of your hands and you now only have one to defend yourself."

At this the boy's free hand came up in a familiar half version of a hand sign. Sasuke's eyes went wide as he watched and everything seemed to freeze.

"_No way! He's bluffing! He cannot form hand signs with one hand." _

But as soon as Haku finished and brought his free hand up in the final sign Sasuke could feel it. The boy had done as he wanted. "Secret Jutsu: A Thousand Needles of Death."

Haku slammed his foot to the ground and as he did the puddle of water surrounding them on the bridge's surface rose up. Each droplet elongated and formed perfect little water needles, hovering in the air in a sphere around Sasuke. Sasuke watched each one form, glancing around him for an opening but found little save for the top of the sphere.

"_Remember the training." _He began to think and closed his eyes, concentrating exclusively on his chakra and what he needed to do. "_Summon all your chakra at once." _

Just as Haku let the needles of water fly Sasuke did as he intended and pushed away using his chakra to boost his speed. Haku also pushed away and the needles all collided with one another in a large splash of water.

"He vanished." Haku muttered but was soon being pushed back by small shuriken aimed right for his head.

"You're not as fast as you think." Sasuke grinned as he appeared just behind the masked boy and sent him flying.

Kakashi smirked. Zabuza had done this himself really. He had insulted the boy one too many times and now Sasuke was out to prove himself. Which he was doing very well at that, there was no question of skill anymore.

"Haku, get on with it. If you keep up like this we'll be the victims not them."

Haku stood slowly, and they all could feel the spike in chakra as the boy straightened. His gaze fixed wholly upon the Uchiha.

"I'm sorry it had to come to this." He whispered as he brought his hands together in an odd sign.

"_Why did it get so cold?" _Sasuke wondered as he hunkered down and tried his best to prepare for whatever it was Haku was about to do.

Behind him he heard the sound of movement and turned to see the water puddles rising again; only this time they were forming columns of sorts and freezing in place. All around him the same thing happened, the water solidifying in to shimmering glass panes of ice.

"Secret Jutsu: Crystal Ice Mirrors"

As the last pane of ice formed above him Sasuke snarled as his predicament. Whatever this jutsu was he was completely surrounded by it unless he could someway go underneath or between one of the panes. Just as Haku called out and finished forming his jutsu the mirrors took on an eerie glow and he walked forward to the pane of glass just in front of him.

He stopped momentarily and looked at Sasuke and then seemed to reach through the Ice and melt into its surface. Haku did not come out the other side of the ice mirror; instead he appeared on the surface of the ice as a reflection would. And just as that happened each of the other mirrors took on the same reflection, all of Haku standing perfectly upright and still.

Kakashi snarled and rushed forward. This was bad. This technique was not one Sasuke could beat nor could he….this was a kekkai genkai: a bloodline trait of some kind. Just as he neared the ice prison Zabuza appeared in front of him, hand on the hilt of his sword and a glare in his eye.

"If you enter this fight you fight me. That boy stands no chance against that jutsu."

Kakashi hissed and braced himself, all the while taking furtive glances towards Sasuke's position. He was a fool to allow the boy to get so involved. Obviously the masked boy had some talent otherwise too; It was why Zabuza kept him at his side. This was why; the boy was invaluable with a bloodline limit like the one he was exhibiting.

"Now, we'll begin." Haku spoke, seeming to come from all sides and directions. "And I'll show you what speed really means."

Sasuke held up his kunai, one in each hand, awaiting the coming attack. He was not prepared however, for what finally came. The first reflection held up senbon, two clasped between fingers in each hand. The other reflections mimicked this movement. Then the reflection of Haku let them fly. One scraped at his right shoulder the other underneath his left arm. Then all the other reflections let the senbon fly.

Sasuke froze and tried to stay quiet but it was hard to do with dozens of senbon making neat trails across one's skin. There was no way to block all of them especially when they were coming so fast. After his kunai was struck from his hand all he could do was clasp his hands over his head in a desperate attempt to save at least some part of his body from the assault.

He could hear Sakura's cry and he knew Kakashi had to have tried to come after him but all that mattered now was coming up with some way to stop the barrage of needles.

They finally did when Sakura, desperate to help in anyway had tried to retrieve and return his kunai to him. He had sat up ready to catch the flying weapon but it never reached him. Haku emerged from the backside of the mirror and caught the object before it ever reached Sasuke.

"_That is not good. He can see any movement I make and any movement they make outside of the glass mirrors. It's like three-sixty vision. There are no openings…" _Sasuke despaired for a moment, watching with wary eyes as Haku stayed there in the open with the kunai in his hand.

He was slowly merging back in with the ice, keeping the kunai up and at the ready as if it was what he was next going to use against Sasuke but without warning he stopped moving into the ice and came flying out of it as if he had been struck from behind.

Sasuke sat up and blinked at the ninja laid out in front of him for only a second. Haku began to sit up slowly, just as shocked as Sasuke at his misfortune, but soon they both knew what had happened. Just outside of the mirrors Sasuke caught a shock of blonde. The sunny color stood out against the muted grays and the fog surrounding them like some kind of beacon.

"_Naruto"_

Haku moved quickly back outside the mirrors and glared at the blonde, standing perfectly at the ready just a few steps away looking pissed. Sasuke was shocked. He had not seen Naruto look so menacing before, but standing there now, silently growling and clutching at his own kunai, Naruto looked more like a ninja than a bumbling class clown.

Zabuza had turned and looked as if he was going to take care of Naruto but Haku stepped just in front of the Mist Ninja, head down and contemplative.

"Let me have him."

There was silence as Naruto tensed up more and seemed to snarl louder at the masked ninja. Zabuza stared at Naruto then over to Haku, chuckling as he did.

"So you want me to leave this to you, huh Haku?" Zabuza finally ground out. "As always you are too soft."

"Forgive me."

Sasuke straightened up and stared at his arms. "_Soft? No he's right, he scraped me up with his needles but he failed to hit one vital point. Why? Why would he just toy with me if he could just as easily kill me?" _

Nearby Kakashi and Sakura stood transfixed. Kakashi was biting at the bit; sure that neither Sasuke nor Naruto could match Haku at this point. At the smallest twitch Zabuza again turned to head him off.

"You know the score Kakashi. If you go after Haku, I go after the bridge builder."

"_This is bad. Sakura cannot face him alone. I cannot protect Tazuna and help Naruto and Sasuke." _

"Why don't you just relax Kakashi?" Zabuza teased a little, leaning back on the rail of the bridge as he went. "Sit back and enjoy the show."

For what seemed like forever Naruto and the Masked Ninja stared at one another across the span of a few leaps. Naruto was looking more and more pissed off the longer he stood there but he made no indication of moving forward.

After a length of time Haku was the first to move, bowing his head only slightly.

"I'm sorry."

That caught Naruto off guard as he loosened a little and blinked at his opponent. What an odd thing to say in the midst of a battle against someone you seemed hell bent on defeating.

"For my deception."

"Whatever." Naruto snorted and smirked a bit at Haku. "Isn't that the true art of the Shinobi? To be able to deceive your opponents?"

"You've learned your lessons well…."

Sasuke watched the exchange silently fingering one of the few kunai he had left. Just as he was conversing with Naruto he grinned. Just between the mirrors he had a clean shot at Haku. All he had to do was hope Naruto could keep the attention on himself and away so he could….

"_There!" _he saw his opening and flung the kunai straight for the boy's neck. He smirked in pride as the kunai was on its mark and then felt his hopes crash as the boy easily dodged with just a mere flinch of his head back.

"I have not forgotten about you." Haku replied calmly, keeping his eye on Naruto, but his words directed towards Sasuke. "Not for an instant."

Haku's head turned once more to Sasuke and he froze like a little Genin again. "Some warriors accept defeat gracefully. They know when they are beaten. Others do not. So be it. Let us finish our battle then, to the death."

Haku calmly walked back to his mirrors simply ignoring Naruto's presence which instantly set him off.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" Naruto flicked a kunai towards Haku but Haku deflected it away as he entered his ice mirrors again.

"Do not worry, we will have our fight soon enough."

Naruto snarled and watched almost in slow horror. That's where Sasuke was, pinned down and looking bloody. This was unreal, just what was this guy?

He watched as Sasuke began the process of trying to figure out which one was the real Haku instead of just a reflection but Naruto knew just as well as Sasuke was that was going to be hard, if not impossible. The boy could move, quick as an eye blink, between any of his mirrors.

But just like Kakashi had begun to see already, both boys began to understand one thing at the same time. Both of them had to attack at the same time….one on the outside one on the inside. Then they could figure out how the mirrors were working.

Just like before, when they went to free Kakashi, they moved at the same time, Naruto being more loud and clumsy with his actions while Sasuke came up quietly from the inside. Haku of course turned his attention to Naruto first, but easily deflected each boy and began to strike with Senbon needles again.

Naruto was quicker to recover on the outside, as there were not as many senbon being tossed his way and went for another mirror, while Sasuke targeted one on the opposite side of the enclosure. Again they were deflected but Sasuke saw the movement differently this time. Haku seemed to target Naruto first because he had been closer, and then Sasuke after the fact. Which meant the reflections could only move at the same time if Haku was stationary in the mirror to control it.

But if he was forced to move about the mirrors then the reflections took time to resynchronize with the original. This was a timing game, one where he and Naruto would have to get the timing right in order to catch Haku outside of a mirror or just inside a new one before he could get all his reflections back up.

Again they moved, at opposite sides, and Sasuke began to prepare for a Dragon Flame Jutsu, hoping maybe the heat from a fire jutsu would counteract the ice jutsu in front of him…or at the very least, melt the mirrors.

Haku still moved too quickly and he was deflected back into the center of the ring of ice. Sasuke snarled and came up just in time to see Haku from outside the mirror, forcibly grabbing Naruto by the hand and pulling him into the ice itself. For a moment neither one was visible. Sasuke looked around wildly for any indication of where they would appear.

Naruto came flying out of one of the mirrors, shoved by Haku and soon both of them were in the center of the ice mirrors.

"You idiot!" Sasuke growled as Naruto came up to balance on the balls of his feet. "What'd you get caught for?"

"Well excuse me! He's fast if you did not notice!" Naruto snarled back and the two huffed and puffed at one another. "It's pointless to argue about it now."

Naruto had a point and the two stared up at the reflection in front of them, not sure if it was the real Haku or just that; a reflection. The game plan had changed because Haku realized they could catch on. So they had threatened him enough to change his actions. So they had to be on the right course of action.

"Maybe with clones…" Sasuke whispered and Naruto began to grin happily and formed the Ram sign.

"Clones coming right up!"

The result was the same only Haku actually came out of his mirrors to dispatch the good fifteen to sixteen clones Naruto had produced and flung at each mirror. Sasuke watched carefully as the real Naruto was again knocked back to the center.

Sasuke frowned. They had to be really fast and neither he nor Naruto had that kind of speed. Even with the clones distracting the ninja they would still be a few steps behind. Beside him Naruto sat up and began to growl loudly, gnashing his teeth together.

"Don't think I'm gonna give up!" he snarled up at the one reflection in front of them. "Just because I didn't make it through this time doesn't mean anything. I'll get through, believe it!"

Sasuke wanted to reach out and smack the blonde for his stupidity but something in the posture of the Mist Ninja changed. He straightened and loosened his hold on his senbon only slightly. Finally his head came up and even though it was hard to tell where the Ninja's eyes settled, it seemed as if Haku was staring exclusively at Naruto.

"Why?"

The question stopped both of them pretty hastily but it seemed to hit home more with Naruto. He blinked and blinked, trying to clear something out of his vision but finally Naruto answered the question not really directed at anyone.

"Because I have a dream."

"Dreams…" Haku scuffed. "It was not my desire to be a Shinobi. It is painful. But that was my purpose in life. I do not want to kill you, I don't, but if you advance I will have no choice. Do the right thing Naruto, and stay down."

Sasuke looked over at Naruto who wore an eerie smirk on his face as the Mist Ninja spoke only to him. What in the world was going on here? It was almost as if they knew one another or knew what the other was going to say. He turned back to Haku, still watching Naruto like a hawk.

"Well if you have a dream then you know I'm not going to do that." Naruto snarled back. "I can't lose here."

"And neither can I. So be it." Haku took back up his senbon and he seemed to put off a different aura. Both Sasuke and Naruto readied themselves and began to calculate what they needed to do, no matter how impossible it was.

Kakashi also reached up to his headband. Haku was a whole other level of Shinobi and he was not too sure Naruto and Sasuke would survive it. So that left him with one choice, take out Zabuza quickly and then try to help the boys. Sakura, he hoped, would be fine with the bridge builder. Just as he reached up towards his eye Zabuza pushed off from the railing of the bridge and reached up to his sword hilt.

"You're no fun Kakashi, using the same trick over and over again." Zabuza laughed but then moved forward at fast speed. He flung out an oddly shaped kunai and his aim was obvious, he was aiming for Kakashi's eye.

Just as he got close Kakashi reached out with his other hand and winced a little as the kunai struck. Zabuza snarled angrily and pushed harder on the weapon, hoping to cleave right through Kakashi's hand but found he was barely able to budge it anymore than he had gotten.

"If it's just an old trick." Kakashi snarled back in kind. "Why did you just stop me?"

Zabuza merely laughed a little and smiled beneath the bandages. "Let your opponent see your jutsu one too many times and he'll find a way to use it against you."

"Then count yourself lucky. You're the only man alive to see my Sharingan twice." Kakashi moved his hand up slowly and began to uncover the red orb. "There won't be a third time."

"Even if you do defeat me, you wouldn't stand a chance against Haku." Zabuza chuckled. "I taught him everything I know, each and every advanced ninja art I could think of. Plus he refined that bloodline trait of his on his own. He is a perfect killing machine, and there is little you can do to stop him."

Inside the mirrors Naruto tried again to create a bevy of clones and throw them at the mirrors. Each time he did Sasuke seemed to focus in a little harder at one particular spot. Each time he seemed more able to follow which way Haku was going. This time as the clones went forward; Sasuke kicked up a nearby puddle and began flying through hand signs.

"You think those two Genin together can defeat Haku?" Zabuza teased slightly. "He is the ultimate tool, a great battle tool of destruction."

"Are you done bragging?" Kakashi snarled back. "I'm starting to go to sleep. Let's finish this."

"Fine." Zabuza put away the kunai and reached up for his sword. "But you should know one more thing, bragging as you call it. Haku was there the whole time during our last fight. He has a way about him. He can see a jutsu once and know how it works. I know how that eye of yours works now, and I won't be fooled again."

A thicker batch of fog came up and began obscuring everything around them. The mirrors, the bridge, everything went into a hazy fog. Zabuza seemed to slip away, leaving Kakashi on his own to find him. It was not unexpected however. Just as Zabuza had teased him, Kakashi knew that he had been throwing around his Mist Jutsu too many times as well.

Inside the mirror Haku flew towards more and more Naruto clones, Naruto watching patiently as Sasuke finished his hand signs. Just as Haku targeted one of his clones, a ball of fire came flying towards Haku and he had to maneuver creatively to avoid being hit directly. He quickly resumed his attack on the clones in front of him, but he had taken note of what Sasuke had tried to do.

Sasuke grinned as Haku returned to his mirrors and stood watching. "_I'm starting to get the timing right."_

There on the edge of the ninja's pant leg was a small scorch mark. Haku had avoided a direct hit from his jutsu but he had at least MARKED him. That meant he was getting closer and closer to having it right. Sasuke glanced over at Naruto, a bit more beaten and bloody from playing the decoy for Sasuke's timing experiments but he was standing and transfixed upon their opponent. No way was he giving up, he had already stated that.

"Try it again dobe." Sasuke prodded him a bit. I think I've almost got him."

"Great, cause this is really starting to hurt you know." Naruto flashed a grin at him and created more clones.

Kakashi stood at the ready not too far away, trying in vain to see through the mist. It was too thick even for Zabuza to fight in. What did the Mist Ninja hope to accomplish in this?

The whirring sound reached his ears before the sight of shuriken did and he reacted appropriately, flicking out a kunai and deflecting each one away from him. As he finished the last one he felt the air moved behind him and turned to find Zabuza, hands in familiar sign but something was different this time.

"_His eyes are closed!" _

"Very skillful, as I would expect from a ninja of your caliber." Zabuza said calmly as he stood not too far away. "But without your Sharingan you are nothing."

Zabuza faded into the mist and Kakashi turned his head and kept his ears to the winds. What could that mean? He had failed to take out Kakashi's Sharingan, why did he think it was no longer in play?

"That's how your eye works isn't it? There are two components to the Sharingan isn't there?" Zabuza teased safely hidden away in the mist. "The piercing eye and the hypnotic eye. You can distinguish my movements and infiltrate what I am about to do with very little clues with the piercing eye. Once you have me shaken you can use the hypnotic eye to start influencing my actions. All a very elaborate trick of the mind and one that is so easy to counteract. First I disable the piercing eye with zero visibility mist. Then I render your hypnotic eye useless by keeping my eyes closed."

Kakashi winced knowing part of what Zabuza said was true, that was the true nature of the Sharingan. Still they both were at a disadvantage here. "Brilliant really, but with your eyes closed you can't see me either."

"You forget who I am!" Zabuza barked. "I am the Demon of the Hidden Mist, master of the silent kill. I don't need to see you; I can find you by sound alone."

"_Shit!" _

"One more time Naruto." Sasuke snarled as he stood glaring at the ice mirrors in front of them.

"What?"

"The more we push the more I can see. I'm starting to get the timing right." Sasuke muttered and glanced over at the blonde. Neither one of them was ideal for this but they did have stamina on their side. Sasuke had to bide his time, however, and target carefully. But thanks to the distraction Naruto was providing he was slowly starting to predict the masked ninja's movements.

It brought to mind their bell test, how Naruto offered to be the distraction but ended up being the one that got the bells in the end. Sasuke watched as Naruto came to his feet and nodded, the blonde saw this plan as their only hope as well. One of them had to be able to observe while the other one banged their head against the proverbial wall.

As Naruto rushed forward towards an opening between panels of ice Sasuke began to form the needed hand signs, holding the last one until Haku finally emerged to deny Naruto's exit from the prison. He let loose the stream of fire, the one jutsu taught to him by his father and waited to see the results. This time a bigger swatch of cloth burned as the boy zipped under the fire, hit Naruto with a senbon to the ankle and then back to the ice mirrors. Just as Haku entered he fired a Senbon in Sasuke's direction, embedding itself in his shoulder.

"_So now he's trying to pin us down." _Sasuke watched as Naruto fell back near him, a few more senbon embedded in his skin. "_Why doesn't he just finish it already?! This is maddening!"_

Beside him Naruto stood again, rising up slowly with an almost feral look in his eye. Just as they both zeroed in on their target a loud scream broke the silence. Both Naruto and Sasuke glanced behind them, fearful for a moment of the sound.

"That's Sakura…" Naruto whispered out unbidden. "What's going on? Where's Kakashi…."

"We've gotta get out of here." Sasuke mumbled and looked back at the mirrors.

With a loud cry Naruto turned and tried to exit through the back, towards where they had just heard Sakura. Haku reacted just as he had been this whole time but instead of just merely scraping skin and trying to disable their movements he let loose a good deal of the Senbon needles he preferred as weapons. Each hit at various points and some very close to vital points and this time as Naruto was deflected he did not get back up.

Haku also took aim at Sasuke. Without even thinking about it Sasuke reached down and picked up one of the previously discarded Senbon needles littered around them. As the needles thrown by Haku closed in he quickly deflected a good deal of them away from himself and Naruto. Once the barrage ended Sasuke hit his knees and panted. Both he and Naruto were hitting their limits and any more wasted movement would have Sasuke much like Naruto, weak and unable to move again. He had to keep trying though. If they had limits so did Haku and Sasuke could imagine how much chakra it would take to keep the mirrors active and to move between them at such speeds. There had to be a limit to his stamina. All Naruto and he had to do was keep their guard up and outlast him.

With little warning senbon were flying again, this time towards Naruto. Sasuke watched as each senbon seemed to move in slow motion towards them both and quickly picked up Naruto before any could hit their mark. He landed just shy of where the needles embedded in the concrete of the bridge below them.

His eyes burned angrily as he glared up at the Mist Ninja in front of him. Something felt different, changed in their little spat. Now it was Haku's turn to be moving in slow motion as he retreated again to the safety of his mirrors. Even then as the reflections came up on each piece of glass Sasuke found he had no trouble now picking out which was the real Haku.

It struck him then just what had happened. It was the Sharingan! He could feel the tinge, the subtle movements and the enhanced vision, as he now glared upwards to his left towards the Mist Ninja in the mask. All this time he had kept prodding at Naruto, Sasuke realized what he unconsciously had been saying to his teammate.

"_I can see…I can almost see…."_

Sasuke had little time to relish in this fact. Haku was well aware of what one Sharingan was capable of; he had seen what Kakashi had done to Zabuza all those weeks ago. Sasuke was truly a threat now. He had his own kekkai genkai to counter Haku's. The Tracker Nin knew this and moved from out of his mirrors on the attack.

Sasuke could see each movement and predict the next and pushed off with every last bit of chakra he had to intercept Haku. He was moving not for Sasuke, but for Naruto instead. It was a trap but still…

The needles embedded deep and quickly, just as soon as Sasuke got in front of Naruto. He felt the pain almost instantly but did not let up and grasped onto the Mist Nin's hands and threw him harshly against one of his own mirrors of ice.

"I won't let you!" Sasuke snarled as he stood there gasping in front of Naruto's prone form.

Haku hit the ground instantly after his collision. Sasuke struggled to keep upright and to stave off the burning sensation now spreading outwards from his chest to his limbs. The needles had definitely hit their mark this time and the vision he had just acquired began to go blurry and he felt light-headed.

Behind him Naruto finally roused and began to try to sit up again. As the blonde did, bright blue eyes came to focus first on Haku, still lying on the bridge just past Sasuke's feet. Naruto sat up quickly and smiled.

"Hey you got him!" But as soon as his eyes fell on Sasuke he knew something was very wrong here. "Sasuke?"

"You're always getting in the way you know that?" Sasuke laughed a bit, coughing up a bit of blood as he did so. "Loser…"

"What did you…" Naruto could not tear his eyes away from the needles protruding from Sasuke's back, knowing damn well that Haku had finally hit his marks. He could not understand it at all. Why had Sasuke, the most stuck up, emo, jerk he knew from class done that? "Why??"

"I don't know why…" Sasuke ground out; his eyes losing their focus completely as he fainted backwards. Naruto moved to catch the falling Uchiha and as he lowered him to the ground he sat frozen in shock more than anything. Sasuke did not move and inch and his eyes were shut. Naruto could not find any movement at all and something just snapped in his head.

"Is this the first time you've seen a friend fall?" Haku asked behind Naruto, finally finding his feet again. "This is part of what it means to be Shinobi, you must realize this?"

"Shut up…" Naruto growled from his position, still gently holding onto Sasuke as if he were holding some kind of doll. Something absolutely snapped in his head then and he turned wild eyes upon Haku, now melting into his mirrors again. He was unaware of his sudden spike in chakra, and how it glowed around him, giving him back his strength. He could not see his own reflection in ice mirrors and see how his eyes were no longer blue and now held slits in them instead of pupils.

All Naruto could really feel was one unmistakable feeling of utter rage. As he stared at the Mist Ninja staring impassively from behind his mask the feeling only began to build and build as he crouched down lower and lower, his nails digging into the cement below him. And finally it reached its pinnacle and he yelled out to the boy in defiance and anger.

"I'm going to kill you."

Not too far away from their own battle both Kakashi and Zabuza halted their game of tag in the thick mist created by Zabuza. The air had gone thick with something other than fog and each man began to glance around furtively for the source of the change. Each one was willing to blame the other until Kakashi really understood what it was he was sensing.

For one moment it felt just like it did almost thirteen years ago and he froze momentarily in panic.

"_I know this chakra! How did I mistake it for Zabuza? He wouldn't be able to create something like this." _Kakashi thought as his eyes darted the way he believed the crystal mirrors were still up and both boys were still trapped by Zabuza's little pet. "_It can't be…there's no way….Naruto…"_

Kakashi fingered his vest and let loose a small scroll from within one of the pockets, his attention still divided between Zabuza and the feeling of dread not too far away. _"Is it possible the seal has been broken? After reassuring him it could not happen it goes and happens? No wait…it's possible it was loosened, that only a glimmer of the fox's chakra slipped through. Something must have happened to cause it though; something had to trigger it…" _

The scroll slipped into his hands easily and Kakashi ran his fingers over the long gash down his front that Zabuza created moments ago when he went for the Bridge Builder. Unwinding the scroll, he drew a line of blood down the center and then rolled the scroll back up after the blood had dried, holding it in his hands with a hand sign.

"Zabuza, I don't want to spoil your fun but what do you say we end this?"

"Tempting." Zabuza growled back from the mist. It was true Kakashi could not find him by sight anymore but there were other ways in which to find your opponent. "I'm interested to see how you intend to back that up."

Kakashi grinned to himself and slammed the scroll to the ground. "Summoning Art: Fang Pursuit Jutsu."

"What's the point if you can't find me!" Zabuza went back to teasing him, thinking the technique would be a waste because of the fog. "But I can find you!"

It was silent for some moments until a loud rumble could be heard in the distance. Kakashi knew one other way to flush out the Demon in the Mist and he had used it. Smell, and who had better smell than his dogs? Finally the rumbles turned into loud snarls and growls in the distance. He heard Zabuza's yelp as his dogs tore into flesh and pinned down the man as they had been instructed by the scroll.

He walked forward towards the sound of it and held some satisfaction of seeing all of his dogs hanging onto Zabuza in some way or fashion, Bull on the top holding down the man's awful blade and biting harshly into his shoulder.

"I realized if I couldn't see you I'd have to sniff you out." Kakashi teased back in return as Zabuza glowered up at him, buckling a little under the dog's combined weight. "Ah, the Mist is starting to clear…"

"Talk, talk!" Zabuza spat through the bandages covering his mouth. "Do you intend to talk me to death?"

"Maybe…" Kakashi grinned a little but stopped to listen behind him. The distinctive sound of cracking ice met his ears and it must have reached Zabuza as well because the Mist Ninja's eyes predictably went that way, somewhat wide and disbelieving. Kakashi was unsure as well, but if some of the fox's chakra had slipped through the seal it could explain the failure of Haku's mirrors. Naruto and Sasuke must have gone on the offensive.

It was time to end this little charade with Zabuza. He had the Mist Ninja pinned in front of him and his dogs were making sure that the man could not escape him this time. He had to finish it so he could go find out what had happened with Naruto and Sasuke.

Just as the mask began to fall away Naruto came sliding to a halt, his fist outstretched in front of him ready to strike the Tracker Ninja where he stood. For several moments everything had been a blank slate of just rage. All he could see had been red and the movements of Haku between his mirrors. After he finally caught the Ninja however, things really did go black and until just now Naruto was not sure how he had gotten to this point. Had he really just broken that mask? Had he destroyed the mirrors? What had just happened here, why did it feel like all of his nerve endings were on fire?

"Why do you not strike me?"

The calm voice of Haku broke through his confusion and he snarled at the boy, finally seeing his true face not just the mask. But it seemed to click in place for him finally. Naruto had suspected when they had talked and baited one another inside the mirrors that this was the one who had spoken to him in the forest, but the way the mirrors had caused sound to echo slightly he had been unsure. Now he was…

Naruto finished his swing and knocked Haku to the ground again, seething at the Mist Ninja but not quite as lost to rage as he had been before. Haku slowly came to his knees and looked up at him with almost dead looking brown eyes.

"No that won't do, you're still holding back. Unless you find your strength again you will never keep your vow." Haku came to a standing position again. "Perhaps he didn't mean as much to you as you thought."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Naruto yelled back.

"To show mercy to those who oppose the one you serve, that is not compassion…It is a betrayal of your life's purpose."

"I don't serve anyone! I'm not a slave!"

"Well I do, and I am no longer of use to him. I have lost my purpose."

"You're insane! If you think he cares about you, if you think you matter to him, then you're crazy. Why does a guy like that matter to you so much?"

Haku seemed to contemplate this question quietly, his head bowed. It only made Naruto surer of what he suspected. He thought to the other questions from last night and could not understand what made this boy think his only purpose was to be a weapon….

"There were others once that mattered to me." Haku replied finally looking up to Naruto to gage his reaction. "My mother and my father. But you see I was cursed by something that happened before I was even born. The Land of Water turned on those with bloodline traits, accused us of being the reason for wars. My mother married a simple farmer and they were happy…we were happy….but then he found out our secret, my mother's and mine. And so he killed her, and tried to kill me."

"Wha…how could he…"

Haku ignored him reliving what he was telling Naruto no doubt. "I reacted and killed him in kind. I fled until I could no longer stand and then I realized what else I had lost. Not only did I lose my family, but I had lost my purpose. No one in this world needed or wanted me, I was unnecessary."

Naruto went still and predictably his eyes went behind him where he still believed Kakashi to be. There was a difference between Haku and his coincidences but something about that last sentence sounded familiar and he finally started to understand. He had felt that way once, hiding down in the alleyways and trying desperately to figure out where he came from….that was until Pakkun and Kakashi had found him.

"I have heard your dream, the way your friend teased you about it…" Haku spoke and Naruto went back to paying attention. "You wish to be Hokage so that all eyes in your village will look upon you, isn't that it? So that they too will see you and recognize your worth. It is through the eyes of others that our lives have significance. If there is no one who sees you, or recognizes you, it is if you do not exist. Zabuza gave me that…he gave me a purpose again. And though you may not agree with his way or his method, he gave me a reason for living."

"_This is insane, why does he still think that?" _Naruto tried desperately to find a more logical reason, to see what it was Haku saw in the demon fighting his sensei right now but he could not. It was instinctual to Haku as it had once been to him….to attach himself to the only person who really saw him. But unlike Naruto Zabuza was the only one who ever recognized Haku. Naruto was lucky, the Hokage and Iruka also saw him.

"So you must kill me, Naruto." Haku took a few steps forward and positioned himself within striking distance of himself. "I am like a weapon that has been broken, I am no longer needed."

"No way! You are a human being!" Naruto snarled and recoiled from what Haku was asking him to do. "Not a slave!"

"Why do you keep hesitating!" Haku finally yelled, his voice becoming more than a mere whisper. "I thought you wanted to be a great Ninja, to protect your precious people."

"You aren't a threat! That isn't what it's about! There's more to proving yourself than fighting a killing. There are other ways!" When Haku did not answer, merely smiled sadly up at him Naruto frowned. This guy was serious about this he was going to force Naruto to kill him one way or another.

That was until his focus changed suddenly and he rushed off in a puff of smoke. Naruto blinked for a second, unsure of the sudden change of plans but quickly recovered and began rushing the way Haku had gone. Whatever it was that had drawn Haku's attention had to deal with Zabuza and if Zabuza was where Haku went, then Kakashi would be there as well.

He took note of the lifting fog as he ran across the bridge. Whatever was going on Zabuza's control of the mist was lessening and it was starting to dissipate. Haku's words still echoed in his ears, ringing and causing as much confusion as they could in his weary mind. There had to be more to being a Shinobi, there just had to be…

And yet Naruto was unprepared again for what he saw when he finally found his opponent. It was in time to see Kakashi's dog disappearing in little puffs. Naruto almost cried out to Pakkun not to go but it was much too late for that. They had been all over Zabuza, pinning the large man down and holding him in front of Kakashi, who now stood with his one hand outstretched and an odd chirping in the air. It looked like he held a hand full of lightning in one palm and had outstretched it to Zabuza in an effort to end the Mist Ninja's life.

But instead of Zabuza, Haku stood there, his eyes unseeing as Kakashi's hand ran him through.

Naruto could not look away as much as he wanted to. He knew Kakashi had not meant it for Haku, but the fact that Haku had done such a thing for Zabuza only solidified Haku's belief that he was only a tool. That he saw himself that way was so disgusting to Naruto but yet…

Had Sasuke not just done the same for him in the crystal mirrors?

Just as the lightning died away Haku's hands shot up and latched onto Kakashi's hand, preventing the Jounin from retreating from the predicament he was now in. Zabuza, momentarily stunned into silence began to chuckle darkly, his one working arm reaching up to his sword.

"I knew I found a treasure when I found you boy. Not only did you give me my life but Kakashi's as well!"

Naruto could not believe his ears. That was all Zabuza thought of Haku and that was why the Tracker had thought the way he had. Just because of this jerks callous disregard for his other worth as a person…and Haku had believed it all!

Zabuza swung but it was slow only using one hand to guide the weapon and Kakashi flipped away, carrying Haku's dead weight with him. As he landed he slowly put the boy down with care and closed the truly unseeing eyes before glaring back up at Zabuza.

"You'll pay for that!"

"No you stay out of this Naruto."

Naruto stepped back at the tone of Kakashi's voice and obeyed without question. Kakashi looked pissed at this change of events and he would take care of it this time. Still Naruto wanted some satisfaction in killing the larger man, still holding onto his sword.

"Naruto?! Hey Naruto over here!"

Sakura's words broke his concentration on Zabuza and he froze. The girl was smiling and waving at him, the bridge builder behind her looking on to the fight.

"Hey you and Sasuke are alright! Where is he?"

Of all the questions that would be the one she would ask. Naruto felt the guilt rising in his gut and he turned back to where he had just come from. Naruto could not find the courage to answer her at all and his silence said everything because slowly her smile faded and she looked like she had just been struck. Thankfully the bridge builder took this hint as well and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Let me take you to him, Sakura." The old man offered kindly, reaching out a hand for the girl. "As long as we stay together you're not disobeying your sensei's order."

Naruto watched them go, almost as if he was watching it in slow motion. He had failed horribly and because of that Sasuke was dead. Sakura was going to blame him, hell they might all blame him, he certainly blamed himself. He could hear her sobs as she finally reached Sasuke but he had little time to focus on it because Zabuza was on the move again.

This time, however, Kakashi seemed in complete control of the fight and kept knocking the Mist Jounin back and back some more. Each strike seemed to take Zabuza down further and further. Each blow seemed to infuriate Zabuza more and more.

"I'll split you in half!"

"I knew you didn't have what it takes for the long haul." Kakashi spat as he put his kunai to the man's neck. "You're falling apart…"

Two kunai were being brought down hard just as Zabuza swung up but Kakashi hit his mark and jumped away and Zabuza's sword went flying.

"Now both your arms are useless…what now?"

Before Zabuza could reply to this a short stubby man came into view. His arm was wrapped tightly in bandages and he walked with a cane but he still held some air of importance about him. Both Kakashi and Zabuza turned their gaze to him.

"Wow he really did a number on you Zabuza." The short little man sneered. "I must say I'm disappointed."

* * *

It had been a shock to all of them.

That was the only way to describe the air in which all of them now sat in Tazuna's house. Tazuna, Tsunami and Inari were all celebrating, Tazuna extremely proud of his grandson and the way that he had finally rallied the villagers to protect their own bridge. It really had come at a good time; once Zabuza had fallen the Leaf Ninja had found themselves still a bit out numbered.

Sakura had been absolutely distraught but finally relieved when Kakashi found the one needle that had caused the paralysis and removed it. For most of the fight Haku had been careful not to kill, and even though Naruto and Sakura had been sure that Sasuke was dead Kakashi was not willing to accept that until he could find out for himself. Sure enough the Senbon user had done much like he had with Zabuza to spare the boy his death.

Sasuke was recovering upstairs from a good deal of those puncture wounds and the temporary paralysis he had suffered and Sakura was hovering like a bee around him.

The one most struggling with the whole situation was Naruto.

He sat now in one of the empty rooms, Riri's head in his lap and just staring out into nothingness. The blonde had suffered a lot of the same wounds Sasuke had but because of his unnatural ability to heal from such things he was more mobile. He was also a lot more subdued than Kakashi had expected of him.

Kakashi took up a spot in the window near where Naruto sat, looking much like a kicked dog and sighed heavily. He also had a good idea of what else was bothering Naruto. It somewhat bothered Kakashi as well but until they had time to figure out just what had happened it was pointless to brood over it.

The release of some of the fox's chakra….

Sure it was unsettling and frightening. Just a small glimmer and Kakashi had found himself freezing much like he had when the fox first came into view of Konoha all those nights ago. The demon was a frightening creature that still haunted a lot of memories and Naruto was smart enough to realize what he had done, rather unintentionally but had done none the less.

"I almost killed him…."

The whispered admittance was not a shock to Kakashi. It was one of the things Jounin instructors were taught to deal with because in all honesty most Genin were still just children. Well-trained, deadly children but children nonetheless and the first kill was always hard to deal with. Naruto had not killed Haku directly but he had witnessed it and he felt guilt over it.

"I wanted nothing more than to make him pay for what he did…." Naruto snuffed and ducked his head to avoid looking at Kakashi directly. "And then things just went black, like I wasn't in control anymore…"

"That is understandable. You were in a position where you had to do something to survive. There is no guilt in wishing to live you know."

"But I…"

"The first time I killed someone I was seven." Kakashi admitted quietly, not sure if it would help or hurt Naruto's state of mind but he had no other experience than his own to draw on. "It was what we were trained to do and it was war…it was us or them. It still is that way, in subtle ways, but it is either you or them sometimes. There is one difference between you and them sometimes and that's all you have to hold on to."

"What's the difference?"

"Whether or not you take pleasure in it…."

That silenced the boy and Naruto shuddered at the thought of it.

"There are those who like Zabuza think of Shinobi as merely tools. The only thing that matters is strength and skill. But then there's you, you see it differently from them. You see other ways in which to be strong. You understand that your ties to your teammates make you stronger and you want to protect them because of that and in turn that makes them stronger as well. That is what the Will of Fire is, that is what we in the Leaf believe."

Riri's tail wagged slowly but the dog kept silent in this instance. The dog had helped Inari earlier in rallying the villagers and had allowed the young man to ride him like a horse to where the battle was but after the threat was gone the German shepherd had realized something was wrong and reapplied himself to Naruto's side.

Kakashi looked out the windows to the village beyond and could see the lights still on in the night. They had won back their village and they all had hope now. Indirectly because of Naruto. Naruto had inspired Inari in some odd way and the boy had taken that inspiration further and inspired others. One person was able to change so many things in such little time. It was oddly reminiscent of being with Minato again; the way the young Hokage was able to put everyone at ease with just a smile…

"I want to learn sealing jutsu."

Naruto's word had taken on a hint of stone. Blue eyes shimmered up at him pleadingly and Kakashi sighed a little. Naruto knew what had happened, he understood what that black out had meant during his fight with Haku. He knew better than any of them….and he was frightened by it.

But instead of being paralyzed by the fear of what resided within he was rising up to challenge it. Naruto would not back down and he would only get stronger and stronger as he went.

"Very well. When we get back to the village I'll start training you as best I can. I know a good deal but not enough to qualify as a seal master."

"That's all I ask."

* * *

**Author note x2: ***evil grin* okay so I still wanted to use Haku I just didn't want it to be so face to face. A bit more mysterious and all. DAMN this was a long arc…. They don't seem that long in 30 minute intervals but in words…..hell…. And the Chuunin's probably going to be longer. BUT OHHHH so much fun! Onward to FUN! (And maybe discovery of just how Kakashi and Naruto know each other XD )


	8. A Matter of Trust and Seals

**The Fox and the Hound**

Chapter 7:A Matter of Trust and Seals

**Chapter Summary:**The return to Konoha finds the Team back on familiar footing. But Naruto was never one for sitting idle and he quickly sets out to learn all he can of the power of seals…

**Author note:**Yes this is the beginning of the Chuunin Arc. Just starting a little bit before it to get an idea of what it is Naruto is under taking. Two…. *rubs hands together laughing manically* we get to see the green beast yet again! If only briefly. Kanki! (Great joy!! ) Three….hobbies!

* * *

It was really, really nice to be back in his own bedroom again.

That was the first and foremost thought that crossed through Naruto's mind as he stared up at the familiar ceiling above him, plastered with images, scrolls and other little artifacts he had just begun to plaster up there. The Leaf symbol was the most prominent and demanding image staring back down at him as he flip-flopped between getting up and doing something useful or staying in bed and relaxing.

Ririshii's familiar mass was curled up to his left side, emanating familiar warmth and companionship and snoring just as loudly as Naruto could in a coma. The dog's tail would sometime flip Naruto in the head but Naruto did not mind as much and merely swatted the large fluffy tail out of his face if it happened to settle there. To his left he knew a heap of bags had been tossed, Naruto not really caring to touch the objects once Kakashi and he had gotten home from the Wave Mission.

Granted that might have been two days ago….

Without such silly things as classes to direct his time Naruto was finding he was a bit more liable to just let the day drift away than he normally was. He had spent the last two days hazily enjoying the feeling of being home and wrangling with the thought of Haku and the whole mission. Naruto was still up in the air as to what to take away from the whole experience and it still bothered him as to the outcome.

On one hand Naruto could clearly see how Haku had come to his conclusion and his purpose as Zabuza's weapon. Based solely on what Haku had revealed to him there was very little else the boy could have thought of himself. But on the other hand all Naruto could see was a human being likening themselves to a piece of equipment and the thought that Haku was so ready to believe himself 'broken' because of his loss to Naruto and Sasuke was unnerving.

"_Course what does that make me?" _

Naruto still felt lingering doubt about his role in the village. Before a few months ago Naruto could not understand why people shunned him or hurt him. Once he had learned about the Demon Fox Spirit it was easier to understand their hostility but it added a whole new set of confusion. Many saw him as a demon fox and not as a boy. Haku believed that it was through the eyes of others that one's life had a purpose so what exactly did that make Naruto to the vast majority of the populace? A demon fox or a weapon?

Why else had they allowed him to train to become a ninja? If they feared the fox so much it seemed a rash decision on their part to allow him to learn more ways in which to kill. Of course there was the possibility that the decision might not have been up to them. Naruto had entered the academy shortly after coming to live with Kakashi so the decision might have been solely Kakashi's.

And Kakashi did not believe him a demon fox.

The whole mission just seemed surreal upon returning to Konoha. They had made their report, received both praise and slightly higher pay because of the increase in rank, and then told to relax for a few days. Then they could go back to their normal routine of D-ranks and maybe a few more C-ranks since they had proven themselves able.

Kakashi told Naruto not to hold his breath afterwards. Still it was almost a tease to the Genin and Naruto had seen the subtle gestures that Kakashi believed them able as well. The Jounin had seemed proud in his own way as he recounted the details that had led them away from Konoha for almost a good month. And it was not just pride in Naruto and Ririshii but in Sakura and Sasuke as well.

On their way back home, just after they had left Wave and camped just short of the Fire Country's border, Naruto had noted a slight shift in their whole dynamics. For starters Sasuke was talking to him without his particular use of 'dobe' or 'loser' at the end of each sentence. He seemed genuinely interested in what Naruto had to say about the whole encounter. Just as Kakashi deemed he would take the first watch and the three Genin could sleep Sakura had approached Naruto quiet as a mouse and seemed to stare him down a little. She quietly asked if he was really okay, as she knew Naruto had taken quite a few senbon needles as well and she was worried he had not rested enough either. It was strange because so far she had only voiced these concerns about Sasuke which seemed to annoy the Uchiha heir and give Kakashi a bit of humor.

When Naruto finally responded that he was fine, after the initial shock of course, Sakura seemed pleased with the answer and smiled at him….She actually smiled at him, which was weird and pleasing to Naruto at the same time.

Naruto sat up quickly in bed and grinned down at Ririshii, watching him carefully with dark chocolate eyes but not yet sitting up himself. Two days was more than enough 'rest' for Naruto and he was ready to start something…anything really.

Around him things were like they always were, disorganized and scattered, except for his windowsill of plants. They were all lined up from smallest to largest and in brightly colored pots and cups. Most of them were little evergreen shrubs, bonsai, and a fern he had found at some tucked away shop. He settled up on his knees, leaning over Riri carefully to inspect his little 'pets'. Most of them seemed to have survived his overextended absence.

But that only meant they needed some care now that he was home. Naruto slipped into his comfortable ritual, formed from years of learning about how to care for each plant so it did not die. He rose out of bed and headed out his door towards the kitchen. He opened the door beneath the kitchen sink and dug around for his favorite blue pitcher. He finally found it towards the back. It was now faded and scratched up from years of use, but it still held its purpose and Naruto brought it back up and began to fill the object with the faucet.

Naruto began to quietly hum to himself as he headed back to his oasis. Kakashi must have heard his movements because the Jounin was stalking down the hallway, still somewhat asleep himself. It was the main reason Naruto had not worried about his own laziness. The silver-haired man had been doing the same thing, probably a remnant of Kakashi's ANBU days where he would slip into mini-comas after long missions or details.

"Oh they survived did they?" The older man muttered as he passed in front of Naruto, halting the boy's movements only for a second. Naruto merely continued to grin and hum as he went to tend to his beloved plants.

Naruto never really listened to Kakashi's half-interested jabs at his hobby. At least he was not reading perverted books at any given hour, giggling to himself like a school girl. Still Naruto knew the humming could be taken as off though but Kakashi never touched the subject and Naruto never really called him on his little laughs and interested hums….

Unless they were with Team 7, then Naruto harassed him endlessly alongside Sakura.

Naruto took a seat on the remnant of a desk chair knowing somewhere beneath the mess there was a desk. He rolled the chair over quietly to the windowsill, still grinning. At each plant he would allow the clear water to slowly seep through the opening of the pitcher and allowed each pot to get their required drink. Some plants loved to be soaked thoroughly and others preferred only a taste of water. It was one of the many tricks of gardening….learning which liked which and how often to check them.

Each one of his little green paradise had been obtained at different times and different places. Each one he had secretly named in his head. On a small corner of his desk was a small rock garden with a few cactuses finally becoming plump and one even had started to flower. Naruto allowed a few drops of water to hit each cactus, careful to not disturb the thin layer of soil and then turned to his prized plant in a simple clay pot on the floor.

It was an azalea that bloomed with dark crimson flowers in the spring and early fall.

Though actually a shrub it had to be started in a pot like most other things grown and had to be well cared for before they could just be shot into the ground. They had to be established first. It had been a Christmas present from the Hokage quite a few years ago and in all actuality this was the fifth generation of the burlap ball Naruto had curiously taken from the older man. It was still his favorite despite not being the exact same plant he had received.

Whenever the plant would get too big for the room and the pot he was using, Naruto would make cuttings from the flowering shrub and then sneak around the village to find the larger plant a new home. It was almost like a prank but not quite. The same planning and thought went into it but the outcome was not some huge disaster, it was someone finding a gift in their residence. Naruto would normally wait until nightfall and then quietly plant the bush at a predetermined location and then leave it at that…

Well sort of. He checked on the bushes from time to time, to be sure that they were cared for and they were still growing.

The first plant had been somewhat obvious to Naruto when he was seven years old. The dark red of the flowers, which had finally bloomed for him, had instantly reminded the blonde of the red-eyed woman from the barbeque place: Kurenai-sensei.

Naruto had sat watching the woman's apartment for hours a day, figuring out her comings and goings, and then determining that it was the place where he wanted to leave his beloved azalea. She had a much larger living room than Kakashi did and all that would be needed was a bigger pot to keep the plant happy and healthy. That night he saw Asuma, ever the slouch and target by that point, come to the apartment and the two quietly left together. Naruto slipped in quietly with the plant and left it and a little card scrawled out carefully in block letters on how to repot the plant and took off with little more than that.

A few months later when Naruto finally found the courage to go check on the plant, he found it blooming again and happily positioned in a corner in the woman's living room, where it could get both the sun and shade it required. He remembered feeling proud of himself and decided then and there that each time the plant got too larger, he would take cuttings and 'gift' the plant to someone else.

The next one went to Ayame as a birthday present and the third one went to…well the Third and it appeared to Naruto that he was ready to give away the fourth. The cuttings from the previous had finally taken and formed a good root ball and the little bush was quickly becoming confined in the cramped little clay pot he had chosen.

Naruto smiled to himself as he picked up a small pair of pruning shears and began to prune off the spent flowers and marveled at the little buds that had not yet opened. He rooted around to find a few good stems in which to cut from and began the process of snipping the new growths and finding a good cup of water to sit them in until he could go get another batch of soil and the proper peat moss.

The best thing was he knew already where to take the plant.

Naruto took up the plant and checked it once over again and checked on his cuttings. Everything appeared to be in order and he began scrounging around until he found a suitable piece of paper. Slowly he began to scrawl the words, now memorized, on how to replant the shrub in both ground or in a bigger pot. He found a piece of string casually discarded amongst all the other clutter in his room and created a hole in his instruction sheet and tied it around the top of the pot.

Satisfied with his work Naruto took his pitcher back to its proper place beneath the sink and then headed for the shower. He finally decided to act like a living being for the day and he defiantly needed the shower. The hot water felt great as he just stood there, giving himself his own watering, and finally when the water began to run cold he stepped out.

He took a cursory glance around the living room as he made his way back to his room, ruffling wet blonde hair roughly with a towel. Kakashi was now gone but Naruto was starting to get the hang of tracking him down if he needed him for something. Not that he did this time particularly.

Riri finally stretched and yawned as Naruto reentered the room; the large canine's teeth seemed much more lethal now that he knew what he could do with them. Naruto ignored it though and began digging around for a decent set of clothes for the day. Ririshii merely watched him with an interested lean to his head, sniffing inquisitively whenever Naruto got close enough to the bed and then panting as Naruto moved about the cramped space.

Since he was about to 'sneak' around in broad daylight Naruto finally settled on the worn and weary gray sweater he favored when he wanted to be left alone and a darker gray shirt beneath. He pulled on a pair of gloves without fingers so he could keep the pot secured in his hands. Again he ducked his head out of his room and checked for Kakashi.

Sure enough the silver-haired man was still missing. Naruto nodded to himself and moved for a smaller bookshelf near the windows. After digging through the books heaped up there in a neat order he found the small crack in the wood behind them. Naruto cracked it open with a little 'push' of his chakra. He would later have to thank Kakashi again for the control exercises because usually it took him a few tries to get the right mix and pop the box open. Now it seemed a breeze.

He rifled through the pages and random scrolls, not really paying much attention to them before he finally found a little book propped near the back of the hollowed out storage space. Naruto pulled it out and began flipping through the pages until he came to the Gs and Hs. Kakashi was lots of things including consistent and Naruto KNEW the man had to have the addresses for those on his team. Naruto was sure Kakashi would need that kind of information as the team captain just in case he needed to find them quickly for a mission.

And Naruto just happened to know where Kakashi kept that sort of thing.

"_Hayate…" _Naruto mentally read through a few of the names he knew better than others and then finally settled on the one inked in a different color and it seemed more recent than the other faded entries. _"Here we go, Haruno." _

Information acquired, Naruto stood to retrieve the azalea.

"What are you up to?" Riri sat up as Naruto returned and wagged his tail eagerly. He too was getting bored with sitting around the apartment all day. Just as that first mission had expanded Naruto's world it had expanded Ririshii's as well.

"Well I have a tradition." Naruto held up the plant and let Riri sniff at the pot before tucking it under and arm and heading for the door, Riri hot on his heels. "Whenever it gets too big I give it to someone."

"Oh, I thought you liked it though." Riri shook out his fur a little as they hit the streets. "You always cut it most…"

"I do like it, but that's why I cut those stems off. Another one grows if you do it right. Plus if I let it go any longer you and I will be sleeping out in the living room, it's supposed to be a bush."

"Oh." Riri snuffed and shook some more. The long hair of the shepherd was starting to shed a bit and Naruto added another thing to his list of things to-do…brush Ririshii. "Why grow it then? There's no yard…."

"Because it's kinda fun to grow them. I dunno really, I just started picking up plants and the Hokage gave me this one."

Naruto smiled up at the sky as they started coming into the village more rightly. There was some comfort walking through the throngs of people in the busy mid-afternoon traffic. There were the mingling smells of foods and the yells and calls of merchants trying to sell their wares. Even if a few people did happen to recognize him as he went, Naruto brushed it off and continued on his way. He did not shrink anymore in public because it only fed their aggression. Instead he puffed up proudly, grinned like a mad man, and just ignored them all.

This was familiar territory to him. Naruto knew his way in and out of Konoha by now and if he had need to he could easily slip away unnoticed. With Ririshii at his side most were dissuaded from approaching him with any kind of malice; word had spread quickly about the attack that had led to Riri's creation.

The pair continued on their quest with little disturbance, ignoring a good deal of the whispers and the glares. As they neared the side of town Sakura's address was in the crowds thinned and the stares continued but something changed in the whispers and Naruto came to attention as did Riri.

"_I heard he and Uchiha Sasuke took down an S-Class Ninja."  
"Wow, really? A squirt like that?"  
"Their team is headed by Hatake Kakashi."  
"I guess Kakashi is doing well with…with him…" _

Naruto glanced down at Ririshii, whose ears were turned back towards the men having the conversation on a street corner. The dog's hearing was quite a bit better than his own and Naruto would later have to ask Riri what he had heard. But it sounded like the person in question had said 'him'.

Not 'it'.

Naruto found his focus changing to the men all of the sudden. Most civilians called him 'it' or 'freak'. Or they just sneered in his general direction. Something was off in their recollection of him.

He shook his head violently and decided not to let the whispers bother him. They would merely drag down the good mood he was in so he set his mind back to his task. As they neared the block where Sakura's house should be, Naruto took to the rooftops to start staking out the home.

It was modest two story home amidst all the other identical places down the street. The only difference was this house emitted a wonderful smell of sweet. There was no other way to describe it other than that. It was like passing one of the bakeries or candy shops along the main streets and Naruto found his stomach growling a little bit.

Beside him Riri began to sniff the air excitedly, his tail wagging in tandem with each sniff. The dog licked his lips and gave a lupine smile up at Naruto after he finally reopened his eyes. "Mmm….Is this why Pinky smells like sugar?"

Naruto snorted a little and smirked. Riri had never really brought up what exactly his teammates smelled like but perhaps that was best. As a dog Ririshii would think with his nose Naruto supposed. Instead of answering Riri he hunkered down and sat the azalea on the roof so he could watch.

There was a little sign outside the door and much like the bakeries he knew of people would come in and come back out with boxes or treats of some kind. It smelled like dumplings or dango from where he was perched but it was possible his sense of smell was tainted by the lingering concern of it being past lunch time.

Finally Naruto saw movement that seemed more interesting. A smaller woman came exiting out of the door with a few boxes balanced precariously on an arm as she turned around and locked the door behind her. She reminded Naruto of Sakura only she was taller and her hair was a much deeper shade of pink. She rebalanced the boxes after securing the door and started down the street at a leisurely pace.

Naruto watched for a few minutes as the woman faded into the traffic of people and then turned back to the house. The woman would not have locked the door if someone was there to protect the business so that was a point to his favor.

"Riri, I want you to stay here. If we both go someone's gonna notice."

Riri nodded and Naruto approached carefully; making sure no one took particular notice of him as he leapt up and balanced on the rooftops. It was another point to his favor; most people in Konoha were used to ninja just landing somewhere to take a look around. Naruto took furtive peeks in the windows to make sure his earlier assessments were true and no one was there. This was the first time he had attempted this in broad daylight without a previous schedule for the inhabitants plotted but the idea was just too good to wait on it.

During their mission in Wave Naruto had talked a little with Sakura, when she was more worried about Kakashi than what Sasuke was thinking and Naruto had surprised her. She was shocked to find he was more knowledgeable than she originally thought and that he had been serious about his 'hobby'. But he also remembered he had challenged her a little bit.

"_You should try it sometime, it's very relaxing." _

It was awfully rude of him to tell her to try something without giving her a start, was it not? As he found a slightly ajar window he slipped in and praised his luck, the room appeared empty and it also appeared to be Sakura's. It was neat, orderly, and on a nearby shelf he could see a familiar team photo perched predominantly in the middle.

"_Jackpot." _Naruto smirked to himself and placed the potted shrub on the floor, dead in the middle of the floor. He plucked a previously missed, slightly wilting bloom and took a nearby pen from the girl's desk. Naruto amended his previous note with Sakura's name as neatly as he could write without a surface beneath the paper and made sure the note and Sakura's name were clear to anyone entering the room.

Pleased with his 'mission' success, he went out the way he came, careful to position the window back the way he had found it and then rejoined Ririshii across the street on the rooftops.

"Alright, first order of business is done." He declared loudly and Ririshii jumped to his feet and barked in excitement. "Now …. I believe it's time for lunch!"

As they sped along the rooftop, Ririshii lopping along easily on their path, Naruto felt a grin spreading on his face. Despite all the doubt and questions looming overhead he felt light and happy. He and his team had just completed a B-Rank mission, and according to the Third he would have bumped it up to an A-Rank had he been allowed to do so for Genin. How many others of the rookies could claim that?

Not only that but he had learned a good control exercise and he was planning to go out each day and perch himself somewhere high and stay there till he thought he was going to pop off. Added bonus: Ririshii was coming along great as a Nin-Dog. He had yet to bring up the subject with Ririshii but Naruto had begun to notice Riri's sentences did not seem quite as broken as they did a month ago.

Naruto attributed it to being around the team as a whole and being around them for longer periods of time. Before, Ririshii hung around the apartment while Naruto was at class and Kakashi was in ANBU or on missions. Whenever the two of them had been home only Naruto spoke that often to the dog and Kakashi was more of a silent presence. But now that they were more active and out with Sakura and Sasuke perhaps it was speeding up the understanding the shepherd had of the spoken word.

Either way it was absolutely amazing and astonishing.

They were nearing Ichiraku's Ramen and Naruto licked his lips much like Ririshii had outside of Sakura's home. He was a few bounds away from regaling the tale of his first real mission to Teuchi and Ayame as he devoured at least four or five bowls of ramen of varying types.

"HEY! Naruto!!!" A shout from below startled him mid-leap and he felt himself falling forward. Below him was the cold dirt of the road and a couple figures looking up to his position and behind him was Ririshii coming to a screeching halt on the slick rooftops. The sound of the dog's nails dragging on the slightly metallic roof-tiles was cringe-worthy but Naruto's concern was not falling face first in the street when it was obvious someone had seen him.

He got a good grip on the edge of the roof before he got too far over and found himself flipping at a fast rate towards the underside and more than likely the side of the building he was using as a launching pad. Luckily though as he stuck himself to the newer surface he came to a sudden stop, hanging upside down but not face-first into a wall.

His observers took this moment to chuckle a bit at his predicament and Naruto finally opened his eyes, that he had shoved shut in a bid to concentrate and not to see the impending doom. He let out a low sign and turned his gaze over his shoulder and saw Choji and Shikamaru upside down and grinning at him.

"Neat trick…" Shikamaru pointed up to his feet.

"That's awesome Naruto!" Choji piped in from behind Shikamaru, munching on some chips as he smirked at the blonde. "When'd you learn to do that?"

"What the hell, could you two not see I was on a mission…"

"Oh another one so soon after the last one?" Nara snuffed and threw his hands behind his head and smirked more up at Naruto. "I thought Asuma said the Jounin we're supposed to meet today for some big important meeting…."

Choji only began to laugh and nod his head. "I know where you were headed. The Ramen Stand!"

"Oh man…not that again…" Shikamaru shoved his hands into his pockets and started walking away. He was walking away but he was walking in the direction of Ichiraku's. Naruto grinned, let his feet pop off and he flipped to a landing crouch grinning up at Choji.

"Hungry Choji?"

"You bet!!!"

"Ugh, troublesome."

"I've missed you too Shikamaru!!!" Naruto called after Shikamaru and took up walking with Choji much like they always did when they were skipping class. They were going along like old times till Choji nudged him hard with his elbow and pointed behind him.

"Uh Naruto, that dog's following you, do you know that?"

Naruto blinked back to Ririshii who wagged his tail a bit and seemed to be laughing to himself. Choji took the little chuckles as growls and took on a wary look at the animal.

"That's Ririshii." Naruto waved to the dog and Riri came up obediently and sat at his side.

"Wow Uzumaki, I didn't think you were that jealous of Kiba." Shikamaru snuffed from ahead of them, his all-observing eyes looking at Riri over a hunched shoulder.

"What?! No,…that's not….Bite me Nara!" Naruto pointed wildly at Shikamaru who only grinned more and turned to face him. He had forgotten momentarily how frustrating Shikamaru could be with his intellect. "I've had Riri for years! He was a gift!"

"I guess he is bigger than Akamaru." Shikamaru shrugged off the explanation for the large dog. "Kiba's still going to beat you into the ground for it though."

"Let him try." Naruto laid his hand on Riri's head and puffed up proudly. "So what are you two up to? Slacking I presume?"

"Did you not hear me?" Shikamaru frowned. "Asuma said something big was going on, that the Hokage had called for all of his Jounin…"

Naruto frowned as well, that probably explained why Kakashi had disappeared finally from their apartment. "Yeah so what? A meeting, that usually gets _**lots**_ of things accomplished."

Shikamaru sighed and shook his head. It was a hopeless cause with Naruto and Naruto grinned having succeeded in getting Shikamaru flustered.

"How is Asuma-sensei anyway?!" Naruto happily went on enjoying his day and return to normal activities.

"Huh?"

"You know Asuma-sensei, Naruto?" Choji stopped munching and blinked over to Naruto somewhat confused.

Naruto merely grinned evilly and nodded. "Oh yeah, me and Asuma-san go way back…"

That only got Shikamaru and Choji to scrunch up their faces in confusion. Naruto was not too concerned with the two of them knowing anything because they knew how to keep their mouths shut. Anyway it was harmless information that he knew Asuma. Asuma was, however, the Hokage's son and everyone knew Naruto was close to the old man for whatever reason.

They arrived at Ichiraku's finally and Naruto took up his favorite stool at the bar. Choji eagerly came up beside him; smiling just as widely as Naruto and Shikamaru came to the end looking like he was going to take a nap.

"Naruto!" Ayame grinned and came to take his order. "We were beginning to wonder about you and Ririshii! We haven't seen you in awhile."

Naruto rubbed at his head and grinned big. "Oh we were sent on a really important mission is all, but man did I miss you guys!! Two of the usual and then keep em coming!"

"Oh this page here!" Choji held up the small menu from in front of him and pointing widely at the delectable pictures and descriptions. Teuchi smiled to himself and began stirring up the pots while Ayame grinned at the boys.

Shikamaru just slumped himself on the counter, staring down the row at his two companions wondering why he was not on a hill somewhere enjoying the lazy day. Hell why were they not all enjoying the freedom?

"So how'd you stop yourself?" Choji leaned in and smiled knowingly at Naruto, somewhat assured that there was a trick involved.

"Huh? Oh that, I used my chakra to…"

"Since when do you know about that…" Shikamaru snuffed a bit and smirked as Naruto glared down at his pineapple ponytail.

"Well our Sensei is kinda awesome."

"I heard Asuma calling him lazy,"

"Coming from someone like him that's a joke." Naruto snarled a bit but brightened as his first bowl of Ramen was placed in front of him. "It's like the pot calling the kettle black…"

Shikamaru sat up a little, a look of utter shock and confusion in his usually dull muted brown eyes. Naruto ignored him and went about picking up some sticks and savoring the smell of his beloved ramen. _"Oh man, the old man should think about opening up stands in each country…. Then I wouldn't have to miss it anymore." _

"Quick question for you..." Shikamaru came full up and scratched at the back of his head while he looked outside as if he were looking for spies. "Enemy is not behind, above, or around you, where is he?"

"Below." Naruto slurped up noodles and smiled in content, not really paying any attention to what was being said or how he responded.

"Uh huh….what is earth weak against?"

"Lightnin…"

"How long you been playing an idiot?"

"Well before I met you two…" Naruto stopped for a moment then cursed to himself and glanced down at the empty bowl that had been keeping him distracted. "What I thought you were smarter than that Nara?"

"Sasuke's onto you." Shikamaru took a side long glance at Naruto and frowned. "Emo-jerk decided he wanted to ask us a few questions earlier. Seems kinda ticked…course I would be too."

"Look I've got my reasons." Naruto defended himself and smiled a bit as Ayame returned with more for him. "I figured you knew. I mean why else do we play word games all the time?"

"He's kinda got you there Shikamaru." Choji took a glance at his friend and teammate and then smiled. "You two always have these one worded arguments that last for weeks, half the time I don't know what you two are talking about."

"Ugh fine, just why play stupid? Seems like a lot of work."

"Everything seems like a lot of work to you." Both Naruto and Choji happened to mumble at the same time as they slurped up more noodles and glared over to their shared friend.

"What's the reason you're so damn lazy." Naruto fired back afterwards. "You're smart too, but you play like a lazy bum. So, you tell me your reasons and I'll tell you mine."

"_Stalemate you bastard." _Naruto grinned to himself and began to really enjoy his ramen and being around Choji. "So how's it being with Ino? Reconsidered my trade?"

"Eh, she's not too bad." Choji shrugged a bit. "She gets a little loud but Asuma-sensei's actually pretty good at keeping her occupied and quiet. Unless of course she's after Shikamaru."

"Shut up." Shikamaru put his head back down on the bar and sighed. "She's annoying as always."

"Oh so she likes Shikamaru too?" Naruto questioned Choji since Shikamaru would not give up any details. "Jees what is it with girls and the bad boys? I mean Sasuke's a jerk, Shika's lazy as hell, we're screwed Choji-san!"

"Tell me about it." Choji chuckled and nodded his head vigorously in agreement.

They were in quiet silence as the two gorged themselves on food and Shikamaru kept up his role as the lazy leader.

"Think he'd care if I cut off his hair?" Naruto whispered to Choji after the two of them finally had their fill and they sat watching Shikamaru nap.

"Think you'd care if I gave up why you're such a dobe?"

"You don't know that…"

"Sure I do." Shikamaru stood and stretching, watching Choji pay for his meal and quickly stand to join his teammate. "Same reason you don't tell people where you live or when your birthday is…"

Naruto locked eyes with the Nara heir who merely looked disinterested and bored. Still his words held a threat in them and Naruto found himself riveted to his friend's conclusion was. Shikamaru was smart and observant so what did he give away to him?

"You're a secret." Shikamaru finally turned and waved as he lifted the flaps to the ramen place. "Everyone in our Clans seems to shut up when we talk about you and I haven't quite figured out why yet. But I assume that's why you try to play if off as a trickster and a prankster, at least then there's a reason isn't there?"

Naruto frowned and turned away. There was a threat here but Shikamaru was still a ways off from it. Then what? What would he and Choji do if Shikamaru finally did figure it out? Would they hate him like the adults did or would they even care? Or would they be frightened by the prospect of it all?

"Whatever it is I don't even think you know it either." Shikamaru eyed him over his shoulder as he normally did. "But Choji and I got your back, so if we find it out we'll tell you…deal?"

"Thanks guys." Naruto mumbled in reply and heard Shikamaru's sigh of resignation as he walked away. Choji lingered for a minute, staring again at Ririshii then giving Naruto a small smile.

"You know he's gonna start challenging you to Shogi now right?"

Naruto found himself laughing as he too started to pay for the seven bowls he finally went through. Choji took off to catch up to Shikamaru and Naruto watched them go. Maybe he should have just told them and gotten it over with but he still felt wary about anyone knowing. There had to be a reason the Hokage made it a secret and why the adults still treated him with indifference. He could not stand to bare the same reaction from those in his class.

But if he did not just come clean with his friends would that also work against him?

"Ugh this is too damn confusing." He muttered as he and Riri left Ichiraku's and headed back out into the streets. "Come on Riri; let's find the flower shop around here so we can get back home."

The closest one to their location was Yamanaka's. That did not bother Naruto too much as he headed that direction. Ino's mother was a complete polar opposite from Ino herself and was actually very nice to Naruto whenever he would pop up looking for something to add to his collection. She had even given him a book or two when he was younger about the basics of gardening.

He walked in to the smell of fresh cut flowers. Most of the Yamanaka's business was containers full of the cut varieties of flowers in which people would come in and make bouquets out of. But in the back there was a small amount of what Naruto himself needed.

"_Okay new pot, soil, and peat moss, maybe some fertilizer I'm starting to get a little low." _He thought to himself as he and Riri navigated to the back of the store near the register. He pulled out a little frog wallet and double checked his funds. Best thing about missions and being a Genin? Spending money…well more than he was used to.

He began picking through the supplies and slung a small bag of potting soil over Riri's back and placing a bag of the moss and a small container of fertilizer inside of a burnt orange pot that had been sitting in the corner. It was fate, Naruto decided as he smiled to himself going about his purchase.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto blinked at Ino as she sat behind the counter looking dubious to his intentions.

"Me? What are you doing here you baka?" Ino shot back then took in what he was bringing to her to purchase. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing, I just needed a few things." Naruto heaved the pot up and pointed to the bag Riri was still carrying. It had to be fate to that the blonde was there. She must have known that he and the guys had been briefly talking about her. He narrowed his eyes at the Yamanaka girl and waited patiently for her to give him his total while she stared back. "Well?"

"Ino! What did I tell you about being rude to the customers?" A familiar woman came out of the back looking about ready to haul off and hit the girl who blinked up at her mother. "Oh, Naruto!"

"Heya Yamanaka-san!"

The woman took in his purchase quickly and smiled a little, her eyes wrinkling as she did. Naruto never understood how Ino was such a high-strung yeller when her mother always seemed so calm and caring. Naruto had only seen her father in passing a few times and the older blonde did not seem as worked up as Ino either….

"Ah starting a new azalea?" she began turned behind her and began to look for something behind the counter. "My you have gotten very good at growing those."

Naruto merely smiled bigger and rubbed at his head, somewhat pleased by the praise of the older woman. Ino was switching her gaze between her mother and Naruto slowly until she seemed to focus on what it was her mother had found.

"Mom you know him?"

"Of course Ino." The elder Yamanaka smiled widely and put a small burlap ball in the new pot Naruto had just bought. "I think that one would be happy in your care as well."

"Yamanaka-san I…"

"I think you'll really like this variety. It has a spectacular flower to it." The woman waved to him as she began to retreat out the door she had come from. "Ino stop being so rude to our customers." She reprimanded again and gave a little wave of her hand to Naruto as he began to protest the little gift in his order.

Ino seemed just as confused as he was at her mother's actions because she swung back around to glare at him like a two-headed monster.

Naruto merely left without saying anything more. The thought of having Ino's attention on him made him shudder. Though it was probable that the next time he saw Choji and Shikamaru, he was going to get railed on about 'plants'. Not a proud moment no, but one that would more than likely pop up now due to that little encounter.

Still it was not turning into a bad day per say, just an odd day.

Naruto went the quickest way home, dragging along his new orange pot and Riri balancing dirt on his back. He again felt the stares that followed after him but like before something had changed in the perception of him. Something he would later have to test but for right now he was content to just go about his hobby and go home and be a recluse again for at least another day.

He was happily filling the orange pot with the potting soil and seating the little root ball inside just below the surface when he felt the air move enough around him to know Kakashi had come back from wherever it was he had gone off to for the day.

"I don't know whether to be shocked that you have another plant or the fact that you don't get dirt anywhere doing it…" Kakashi snickered as he leaned over the couch to watch Naruto and his activity. It was a fascination since the day Naruto began gardening. Naruto, after his initial wariness, had become a ball of energy and the fact the boy could sit still long enough to do something as slow as gardening still fascinated him.

"Hey I'm always careful." Naruto spouted back and hugged the small pot somewhat protectively as he glared back up at Kakashi. "Where'd you go?"

"Eh you know… things. I'm a busy person you know."

"Yeah right. Shikamaru said something about a meeting…"

"Ah Asuma's still got a big mouth."

"Seems like it. Asuma-san also said you were lazy. I think you need to fix that." Naruto smirked up at him.

"Hmmm you may be right. And you've wanted a shot at him since he got your friends on his team…" Kakashi began to rub at his chin as if contemplating the whole idea. "But that's for later."

Kakashi produced a stack of papers and let them fall at Naruto's feet. Naruto blinked down at them for a minute before returning his gaze back up to Kakashi who smirked happily at the response.

"You wanted to learn seals right?"

"Hai…but."

"Most basic seals deal with sealing things in scrolls." Kakashi straightened and stretched. "Weapons, extra clothing, and other little things like that. So you're going to need a lot of paper to practice. Sealing arts have a wide variety of uses and applications. You start small but almost anything can be sealed to some extent with the proper formula."

Naruto picked up the papers and rifled through them noting their thickness and grain. "So how does it start then?"

"Well most people start with weapons. Say you're going on a long mission in another country. Hauling that huge shuriken with you might be hindering and troublesome. So you seal it away in a scroll and release the seal when you actually need the said weapon. It is figuring out the proper seals and symbols that will contain what it is you are sealing and also applying the right amount of chakra for what it is you want to seal. Weapons are relatively easy and small in most cases and are made of one thing: metal. Now you go into larger, more complex, things and the more complex the seals have to be.

Kakashi reached down and snagged a piece of paper and produced a small pen. He drew a circle on the center of the page and held it up. "The standard format for most of these 'container' seals is a circle in which the object will be placed and then the varying seals will be placed outside the circle's perimeter. The simpler of seals only need ink. More complex ones may need the forum to be blood."

Naruto nodded mutely and listened intently to this new instruction. He had asked Kakashi, rather bluntly in Wave, to teach him Sealing Jutsu. At the time Kakashi had agreed Naruto had thought the older man merely did so to appease him but now he was delighted to find that Kakashi meant his word.

"There are varying degrees of Sealing." Kakashi eyed him. "I won't teach you a new one till I am certain you know the previous one first."

"How high are you? I mean you said you weren't a seal master…"

"No I am not. Seal Masters are quite rare and it is a pursuit that involves a lot, and I mean a lot, of studying and knowledge of certain elemental properties and physics." Kakashi again focused entirely on him and then looked predictably to his stomach. "To use an example we both know fairly well: imagine trying to figure out a way to contain and suppress an entity said to be made of chakra and is taller than most buildings in a container that is much smaller but will continue to grow during the duration of the seal. One would have to intimately understand the chakra system and how it develops and…."

"Lots of studying got it." Naruto interrupted the man somewhat uncomfortable by the topic they were on. He knew this was the reason behind his asking to learn how to do Sealing but it was still awkward to stare it down in the face like they were. Kakashi would not let it slide so easily.

"That brings up another good point." Kakashi frowned at him and came to sit on the couch. "You must promise that no matter what it is you learn it will not be tested on that particular seal. No toying with it, Naruto."

"What you think I'm that stupid?" Naruto snarled up a little more harshly than he intended.

Kakashi and he stared at one another for a while before the older man flicked him a couple of scrolls. Naruto opened the furls a little bit and smiled a little to see they were instructions, pretty detailed ones, about what he was about to learn.

"No I do not think you're stupid. But it had to be said. No one besides the Yondaime and the Sannin know exactly what kinds of seals were used and how they are triggered. To unintentionally loosen something would have grave consequences."

There was a short pause as Kakashi rose and went to the kitchen, apparently having missed his own lunch because of the meeting Shikamaru had hinted to earlier.

"And I don't want to see you get hurt."

* * *

Early morning was not so bad once you got used to it, Naruto supposed. Sure he would like to have more of those lazy days of being able to decide what he was going to do but he was also somewhat ready to be back to work; back to training. He sat on the rail of the bridge the team always met on watching koi fish swim beneath him lazily while Riri laid atop the little dais that formed an entry to the bridge, being alert and watchful for others of his team.

It was the usual routine again. Before the mission to wave Naruto would always be the first to show up. He did not know why he did this; it was almost guaranteed that Kakashi would be late with some lame excuse. He really did have to get on his nii-san about those excuses and try to help him think of better ones. What good were they if they were so stupid no one believed him?

The next person to arrive was usually Sakura but it alternated from day to day depending on if Sasuke was in a mood or not. If he was in a particularly bad one, he'd be there before Naruto, if he was in an okay mood he'd show up shortly after Sakura.

Riri gave a little bark and wagged his tail, hanging over the red supports of the bridge. Naruto glanced up to him first, seeing how relaxed Riri was it was a teammate and then waved to the person coming to him. Today it was Sakura who got there before Sasuke. She was coming up slowly and somewhat timidly and she was holding something behind her back.

"Good morning Sakura-chan!" Naruto smiled big and put on a show for the pink-haired girl. He was still reluctant to give up his mask just yet. With Shikamaru and Choji it was fine, the two of them had only seemed somewhat upset that he was not one-hundred-percent honest with them but they accepted it and went on. His teammates might have a harsher view of it, or they would have harder questions than Nara and Choji.

"Good morning Naruto." Sakura actually responded and gave him an odd little smile. Ririshii leaped down and began sniffing behind her, his tail whapping back and forth excitedly. Whatever Sakura was hiding back there while she blushed must be good. "I wanted to get here early…"

"Oh? Why's that? Our slacker Sensei won't be here for another hour or two." Naruto leapt back up to his perch, to watch the fish but instead found himself watching Sakura as she fidgeted.

She produced what she had been hiding behind her back, a small square box wrapped in an odd little covering. It reminded Naruto of the boxes the woman had carried away from Sakura's home a few days earlier. He looked up at her confused as she presented the box to him almost as if she was giving it to him.

"Well go on, there's some for Riri too." Sakura grinned nervously. "They're really good and I remember you and Choji always fighting over food so I thought maybe you'd like some…."

Naruto took the box carefully and pulled on the light knot atop the box. The odd covering fell away and he looked into see dumplings. Really hot, delicious-smelling, dumplings. Naruto again looked to Sakura who seemed to have a blush spreading on her cheeks as she watched him.

"The ones with the glaze are sweet dumplings." She suddenly pointed out and in the box. "The ones without are filled with meat. Mom said chocolate is kinda bad for dogs…"

Naruto reached for one of the sticks accompanying the box and stuck one of the glazed ones and chomped on it. Just as she said it was sweet and he smiled instantly. They were still warm too, which was great. As he savored his he reached in and snagged one of the duller looking pastries and held it out to Riri who rushed up eagerly to get the treat. He sat as he gulped the little ball of dough down and he nuzzled Sakura's side.

As the two of them enjoyed their 'treats' as it were Sakura leaned up against the railing of the bridge too. "It was really pretty…"

"Huh?"

"The plant you left; it was very pretty." Sakura blushed again. "Where did you get it? It had to cost a fortune..."

"I grew it." Naruto shrugged. "I take cuttings from it and then give away the bush when it gets too big for my room."

"Can't you just move it somewhere else?"

"Ah…" Naruto began to worry a bit. "The place is kinda small…"

"Where do you live?"

"Other side of town." He lied somewhat. "Near the ramen place…"

"Oh... you live by yourself right?"

Naruto turned to watch her. This was an awfully dangerous question she was asking. "Well not really, I have Riri don't I?"

"I mean with other people you dolt." A small flare of the Sakura Naruto was used to flared up and he gave a little smile in response.

Luckily he was saved by Sasuke's entering the equation. The dark-haired Uchiha stalked up to the pair of them and looked between them as if he knew something was going on and then huffed and put himself between Sakura and Naruto.

"Come on, we can at least do something useful while we wait for him." He directed to Naruto and then began walking out to the training field. The whole exchange had been pointed at Naruto and compulsively he followed Sasuke as well.

Without warning the Uchiha heir came at him, ready to start the sparing and Naruto quickly defended himself. He grinned wickedly as he and Sasuke traded blows and darted in and around the stumps of the field their Sensei seemed to favor.

When Sasuke started firing off fireballs Naruto started popping up Clones. They both were enjoying this little test of sorts as they baited and prodded at one another, never really crossing the line of 'fighting', it was more like play-fighting.

Until Kakashi broke it up. He puffed up in between them both, book in hand and a smirk in his eye.

"While I commend your enthusiasm, don't you two think you should save some of that energy for missions?"

And so started their tedious day of suck; at least that was what Naruto was calling it in his head. First had been the old lady's garden that needed weeding. That had taken no time at all for Naruto and he found himself unconsciously correcting Sakura and Sasuke if they went to pull something that was not a weed.

Then there was the river and getting trash out of the river. Honestly he could still feel cold water around his thighs and he shuddered even thinking about it.

"_Who in the world thinks of these missions for Genin? What point is it to do this stuff? It doesn't prepare us at all for anything higher like a B-Rank."_ Naruto kept growling in his head and from the looks of Sasuke's expression he was none too happy either.

Of course then there were the dogs and an old rivalry flared up. Sakura, who that morning had been all sweet and curious had reverted to Sasuke-Fan-Girl #1. When they got that final little mission Sakura seemed relieved nothing too serious and the two boys had groaned. Of course when they started walking the dogs, it became an issue. The largest of the dogs, of which Sakura somehow got saddled with, began dragging her all over Konoha.

And of course she turned on Naruto to get Ririshii to fix this problem for her. Ririshii just sighed and sat next to Naruto and the dog he had gotten and looked up to Naruto pleadingly.

"Does she not understand the difference between Ninja Dogs and regular dogs?"

"Doesn't look like she's learned that yet." Naruto frowned along with Riri.

Finally though it was over and when they turned in the 'success' of that last one the Hokage and the others present had nothing else left for them to do. So they had bowed graciously and left the way they had come.

"Well you three did well today." Kakashi seemed to prod them a little before they could make a decision to scatter to the wind. "I have one more thing before you three just dart off though."

Both Naruto and Sasuke seemed to lighten a little and believed finally they were going to train or do something useful. Instead when they turned to face Kakashi they saw him holding three slips of paper in his hand. He gave each of them a slip and then waited for the inevitable question.

But when it did not come he smirked and went on about explaining it to them.

"I have recommended you three for the Chuunin exams in a week. Those are the slips you need to get in once you arrive at the examination location. This is a decision you all can make, if you don't feel ready you can wait till next year."

"Awesome." Naruto looked through the instructions and the times and places listed on the sheet of paper given to him. Kakashi took their distracted moment to puff away without being speared with more questions. None of them even noticed but went about silently figuring out in their own heads who was ready.

Sasuke was the first to leave with a grunt and a tiny wave of his hand as he retreated in the direction of the Uchiha district. Sakura almost made to go after him but stopped. She sighed and looked over at Naruto.

"Are you going to do it?"

"Absolutely!" Naruto nodded vigorously. "What you worried?"

"No, just curious." She smiled and began rushing off in her own way. "See you later Naruto!"

And when it was just Naruto and Ririshii he smiled at the dog and pointed back out to the training grounds. "Well come on Riri, let's go home and bug Nii-san till he tells us what to expect!"

* * *

"Stupid freaking kunai!"

The curse was followed by a loud thunk as something hit the other side of the wall Kakashi was walking beside. He sighed a little and glanced around the door frame, the door slightly ajar and open enough that a particular shepherd could come and go as he saw fit. Naruto sat in the dead center of his bed, books and scroll alike scattered around him like a mini hurricane.

The blonde looked absolutely pissed off about his lack of progress and had tossed his last 'experiment' neatly into the wall behind him in a fit of frustration. It was somewhat humorous and it was somewhat comforting to see him struggle with this. Kakashi still was not all that sure the Hokage would be all-together receptive of this idea but when Naruto had asked in Wave for that particular type of training he saw Sensei and he could not really refuse.

Anyway a basic working knowledge of seals was a good thing to have and a very useful skill if you found yourself good at it. But that was the problem with the Sealing Arts for most people. It was a broad, broad subject and to try and narrow it down to 'basics' was damn near impossible. There were a few commonalities between different sealing Jutsus but in most cases the seals were as unique and complex as their creators.

That was the problem in teaching it. Kakashi himself had help by the time he started picking up the Jutsu for certain types of sealing in that he had the Sharingan already. It made memorizing patterns and hand signs much easier. Still there was a great deal that Kakashi himself did not know. Sure he could take it further but after Minato's death his two best teachers were gone and he had decided to leave it where it was. In battle situations it was one of the lesser skills people relied on.

"Damn thing, I swear it's mocking me!" Naruto growled and threw up his hands to the ceiling as if praying for a revelation. Instead he just flopped back unceremoniously on his bed and glared at Kakashi.

"Having a bit of trouble?" Kakashi smirked cockily and received a rather sharp growl in response. He merely chuckled a little and leaned against the doorframe. Yes he saw Minato-sensei in Naruto….sometimes. But times like these when he was frustrated and angry, Kakashi was more aware of how he was his _**mother's**_ son, not his father's.

Another distraction that had Naruto so pent up lately was his teammates. They had gone back to doing D-Ranks, as was expected, but with the more relaxed atmosphere between them Sakura and Sasuke were starting to prod the blonde a little more than Naruto liked. He still was unsure about being one or the other: the jester or the scholar.

Plus there was the pressure of the Chuunin Exams hanging over all of their heads. Kakashi had been proud when he found Naruto sneaking out early the day after giving the three the notices and when questioned he said he was going to go find Sasuke or Sakura and see if either one of them wanted to train.

They were more than likely going to flunk out in the second round that was Kakashi's bet. All three of them were smart enough to pass the first portion of the test. The second section would be the challenge to them. They had never been forced to 'find' and 'destroy' and enemy in unknown territory and the concept would probably be a little foreign to them. Not to mention a good deal of the participants would be much older and more experienced than them.

Still Kakashi had faith in them and knew they would do well regardless. They would not be made Chuunin but it would be a good training experience with boundaries.

"Honestly Nii-san, this is insane. I think I have it right and nothing happens. All it does is burn my finger tips a little bit."

"Then you're getting close."

"I've been getting close for the past few days!" Naruto snarled and glared down at the symbols he had intricately drawn out around a circle for the kunai. "And it's only a couple of days till the Chuunin exams start and if I leave it I'm gonna have to start all over again."

Kakashi regarded the boy quietly as he vented his full frustration on him. He understood the urgency behind the actions but Naruto really was burning himself at both ends. Early mornings he would go out and train with Riri, Sasuke or Sakura then quickly eat and then start in on his self-imposed training. Sometimes the kid stayed up way too late to get up way too early to start the cycle over again.

"I can't believe I'm about to say this." Kakashi reached up and rubbed at the bridge of his nose. An idea had struck him and it was a valid one but anytime Naruto and 'he' got together it was always a good week before Naruto stopped making boastful claims and acting just like the man that irritated him so much…."Maybe you should talk to Gai."

Naruto sat up slowly and blinked at him, confused surely. Kakashi sighed and shuddered at the thought of what he had just said. _"Too late now…"_

"Did you just say I should talk to Gai-Sensei?"

"Please do not make this any more difficult than it already is." Kakashi muttered and shoved his hands into his pockets. "You just need to ask him if one of his students could give you some quick pointers. She may not even want to; they are probably training for the exams as well."

"Oh, not Lee-san?"

"No not Lee. Honestly he's a miniature Gai, do you think he knows about sealing jutsu?"

"Oh…darn. Haven't seen Lee in a while, would be fun."

"Her name is Ten-Ten. Just see if Gai is open to the idea and see if she can't help you a little more once the exams are over. Maybe she can explain it a little better than I am apparently." Kakashi turned to head for the living room. He was going to need to get out of dodge before Gai found him because obviously Naruto asking Gai for permission for anything was going to rebound pretty quickly in his direction. Maybe a little camping trip would do the trick…or he could beg the Hokage for another mission but seeing as they were already asked to enter their Genin in the exams the Third would no doubt deny him.

"_I am going to pay for this later…" _Kakashi thought darkly as he continued to ignore Naruto's excited yelps for Riri to hurry up already; the dog just has to meet Lee-san.

Naruto himself was out the window like a bolt with Riri close behind as the boy went about scouring the village for the Green Beast of Konoha. After his first encounter with Gai-Sensei he lost some of his apprehension about the man. Gai was loud, brash, and absolutely insane, but he was a fun type of insane. At random times when he was younger Gai would pop up and challenge Kakashi to a duel and the two would either fight, race, or do something so asinine that it would have Naruto in stitches.

Plus he wore that dark green suit of his and it just added to the whole ensemble of 'weird' around Maito Gai. Even better was a couple years ago when Gai showed up with a Genin; one sporting the same outfit, hair style, and of course eyebrows. He was kind of quiet at first but under Gai's tutelage Lee-san was turning into a mini-Gai and Naruto loved watching from the sidelines with Lee taking shots at the way the two older men behaved.

Not that Lee and Naruto did not have their share of little spats and declarations of rivalry.

As he came into view of the training ground he knew Gai favored he slowed a little and began to search a little more diligently for the Green Beast. It was another fact that Gai had odd and wild training ideas and if his Genin were also in the test they'd be out late or early or both.

He was not expecting a Kunai to come striking at him and he dodged while shoving Riri out of the way at the same time and took to the trees. Three more Kunai came at him at a deadly speed and Naruto found himself dodging one after the other.

"We can see you, it's impossible to hide." Came an impassive, cold voice and Naruto glanced around the tree bark to find the one talking. It was a white-eyed boy a few years older than he was.

"_Great a Hyuuga." _Naruto frowned before responding. "I wasn't trying to hide you jerk! I only started hidin' when you started throwing shit at me."

"Naruto!" Gai's familiar boom of a voice called out and soon the giant green man was with the white-eyed boy smiling up at him with that toothy grin. "Neji, cut it out, Naruto is a Leaf Nin."

"How was I supposed to know? Those Sand Ninja have been spying on everyone since they got here." Neji huffed and turned from his impassioned teacher who smiled up at Naruto even more.

Naruto grinned widely as he leaped down the tree and stood in front of Gai. Riri came down as well and stood at the ready in case Gai's other student began throwing kunai again.

"It is good to see you again and that you are once again in the prime of your youth! Tell me, have you come to challenge Lee-kun to another spar?"

"Yosh!" Lee jumped up from his sitting position near a girl wearing pink. Just like the boy with white-eyes the girl looked bewildered and confused as Lee rushed up behind Gai and smiled encouragingly to Naruto. "Naruto-san we have not met in a while! Tell me how is your training going? I do hope you have not let it slack since last we met. I have been training to be a good rival for you!"

"Heya Lee." Naruto smiled back then shook his head at Gai. "Sorry Gai-Sensei, Lee-san, but I kinda came to ask you a favor, well one of your other students really."

"Gomen, I have somehow disappointed you Naruto-san. I will have to take 100 laps around the training grounds with my eyes closed to redeem…."

"No! No Lee, it's not like that." Naruto quickly tried to console Lee and keep him from doing something stupid. "It's just that I'm trying to learn seals and the ones dealing with weapons. I seem to keep screwing it up…"

"Ahh, I see." Gai rubbed at his chin as he seemed to take Naruto in, sizing him up. "The art of sealing is a noble pursuit, one no doubt you will master soon. You have heard of Ten-Ten's gift with weapons then!"

Naruto glanced back at the girl who was sitting with her head cocked to the side, much like Riri would do when he was confused. She had two buns of chocolate brown hair atop her head and she was dressed like a monk almost with the style of her shirt. Still she stood and came forward before Gai could motion her forward.

"No offense, whoever you are, but I have my own training to worry about." She did not sound mean or hateful but she sounded pretty defensive.

"Ten-Ten! That is Naruto-san! My rival and friend! You simply must help him!!!" Lee excitedly pointed to Naruto while begging the girl in pink.

"Gomen, Kakashi-sensei said you all might be busy but if I could bug you after the Chuunin exams I would appreciate any help. Kakashi-sensei sometimes makes it too hard."

The girl sighed a little and glared over at Lee; still giving her a look of upmost longing and clutching his hands in front of him in a very Gai-like pose. "Well I suppose a quick tip wouldn't hurt. You said you were trying to seal weapons? Why did you start there?"

"Because Kakashi-sensei said that was the easier place to start."

"You should start with what you know best." Ten-Ten nodded. "I can show you a few of my marks though and you can keep trying the kunai. Don't go for the full circle pentagram formula, that's harder, use a single symbol for the weapon and then seal it. Circle formulas are better for containing chakra and elements like water or fire."

Naruto went absolutely still. Elements? He could do that with elements? He could seal water…… or his plants!!!! Suddenly he smiled and started for the trees. "Arigato Ten-Ten-san!!!" he yelled behind him. "See you at the Chuunin exams Lee-san!!!"

"What the hell was that all about?" Neji finally came up with his team and watched after the retreating blonde.

"I don't know he didn't stick around long enough for me to show him any marks." Ten-Ten frowned up at her Sensei who much like Lee was smiling broadly.

"Do not worry Ten-Ten, something tells me you gave him a very good tip."

* * *

**Author Note x2: **Okay Fall is the season of SUCK. ABSOLUTE SUCK. Another family member passed after a long battle with cancer. Not quite as sudden as the other Uncle but still sucks and just kinda depressing. Sorry for the delay. I hope you all enjoyed this filler chapter!!! I enjoyed writing the first part particularly ;) It helps to have a master gardener in your household, it helps when one of the chars you are writing has a gardening hobby that NEVER gets touched upon. Honestly, I know the data books explain that Naruto enjoys gardening but the only clue we get in the manga/anime is the plant in Kakashi's apt. Why?? It's a good hobby ;) anyway, off to start the great and long arc of Chuunin!


	9. Missing Moment: Age 5

**The Fox and the Hound**

**Missing Moments: **Age 5

**Author Note:**Okay loyal and devoted readers…. I caved into this little particular idea of mind kinda of as a place holder while I get back into the game from vacation. Me and the aunt decided we had enough gloom and doom this month so we took a trip to New Orleans! I just decided to put this lovely little bit of FLUFF up because A. many noted not enough Chibi-Naruto and B. Cause the angst bunnies demanded it. C. cause it's not really long enough to be a 'chapter-chapter' and because it didn't seem to fit anywhere else in a chapter so I deemed it a "Missing Moment".

*snags up itty-bitty Naruto and hugs* enjoy the Cute…for the power has returned.

* * *

Kakashi had no idea why everyone had been so up in arms about him taking in his Sensei's son. Honestly, it was working out beautifully. Naruto went to school now, he kept up in ANBU, and if the need arose he would summon Pakkun or the others to keep the boy company in his absence. It was not like the kid was THAT much trouble.

The first year, Naruto had been unsure of his surroundings and the change in the routine; as any four-year-old would be. So he was pretty quiet, followed the rules put forth to him, and was rather studious for a child. Every so often he would get this energy about him but he hardly ever bothered Kakashi with it and entertained himself.

This second year he was more sure but still quiet and studious. Naruto talked more but it was usually well-placed questions when he was sure Kakashi was not busy or too tired to deal with him. And in most cases Kakashi was fairly glad he was asking because it was obvious many of the teachers at the Academy ignored him.

And that was what was working so far. Kakashi and he sometimes crossed paths and sometimes they did not and everything seemed fine. The little five-year-old was finally starting to even out, no longer thin and wiry looking, and he did not seem too distressed at any given time.

Naruto actually seemed very content.

So it left Kakashi a little perplexed as to why everyone thought he was crazy to keep an eye on the boy. Asuma and Kurenai especially gave him looks after that meeting in the barbecue place. Kurenai had softened a little bit to the idea, and only nagged him once a month about what he was actually 'feeding' the child, but Asuma….Asuma still thought he was crazy.

Kakashi had been home for hours and had not seen the kid and left it at that. Sometimes Umino Iruka took the kid to the ramen place or for whatever reason Naruto decided to stay locked up in his room. Kakashi did not really question either and was happy for the quiet peace that seemed to exude from the apartment. He was not even that surprised that he had fallen asleep. It had been one of those more tiring months of missions instead of keeping guard at the Hokage tower or around the village. He deserved a rest, and one he had finally gotten.

After a few hours though, something began to nag at his senses. It was slight and random in its frequency but the sound was enough to dredge his awareness up from sleep and he laid still trying to determine what it was he was hearing and why. For a moment he believed he had been hearing things because the sound did not repeat itself and he heard nothing in the apartment besides himself.

"_No wait, there." _Kakashi sat up and looked out his bedroom door. From his view point there was nothing in the apartment and yet he just heard what sounded like a small scuffling noise. Like something was moving. Again he waited to see if the sound repeated itself and it did but he saw no movement whatsoever.

His eyes traveled to the closed door of Naruto's room and he stood to go inspect it. Maybe the five-year-old was there and had just been quiet before or had been asleep and now Kakashi was now hearing him stirring. It was not a bad thing; he actually was getting kind of hungry and was sure the kid would be too.

Kakashi opened the door slowly and quietly. The boy was surer of himself and more confident but sometimes if Kakashi did not give him express warning or made some kind of noise to alert Naruto the kid would get momentarily spooked. Naruto was indeed in the room, silently huddled up against the wall his bed was pushed up against. He had the covers completely cocooned around him and he appeared to have just woken up or was thinking of going back to sleep because his eyes had a half-lidded quality to them.

And then the sound repeated itself.

It was not any movement from the boy, it was the boy sniffing. It was quiet and quick but he had just watched the kid hastily sniff and then seemed to shrink more into the large blanket he had around him. Kakashi cocked his head to the side to get a better look at Naruto's face and the boy's blue eyes finally drew up to Kakashi.

"Naruto…" This time the boy flinched a little but inclined his head a bit more and stared up at Kakashi patiently. "Awake yet?"

"No…"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow and took one more step in. He saw the tensioning in Naruto's shoulders and stopped, crossing his arms in front of him as he watched. Something was up, because Naruto was staying guarded and his voice low. His voice did not sound all-together right either, like it was huskier than it had been a few days ago.

"Hungry?"

"No."

"_That's not right, he's always hungry." _Kakashi frowned finally and took a few more steps towards where Naruto was cocooning himself. "Why not, it's almost time for dinner."

"I'm not."

When Kakashi nudged his way to the edge of the boy's bed the kid had completely covered his head by his arms and was shivering almost as Kakashi stood nearby. Maybe something had happened at school and it had triggered something for Naruto. He honestly had not seen much along the lines of 'fear' from Naruto since he first found him. Of course he was not sure what had happened yet so he could not be sure what was going on.

"Naruto…"

"Don't be so close." Naruto sniffed again, this time sounding more congested than the others. "They said I'd get everyone sick…that I was doin' it on purpose…"

Kakashi straightened for a moment confused. Then like any other time he just pushed to see if anything else spilled out. Naruto was not one to keep his mouth shut if you kept prodding at him about it. He reached out slowly to try to touch Naruto but the boy unraveled himself rather quickly and ducked away from his grasp. Kakashi momentarily took in one of his arms that looked like it had a bruise in the shape of someone's fingers, as if someone had grasped him rather harshly then glanced at the boy in general who was now standing precariously at the edge of his bed.

"I don't wanna get anyone sick on purpose Nii-san. I didn't do it on purpose, I promise." Naruto began pleading and it looked almost as if he was going to cry, which was odd. Kakashi had never once seen the little boy cry or even come close to it so far. "I don't wanna get you sick Nii-san.."

Kakashi snorted a little bit in laughter. "Don't worry Naruto-kun; one of the benefits of this mask is not getting sick a whole lot." He pointed to the cloth still covering his nose and mouth. It was not a lie and he hoped it meant the kid would let him get closer but Naruto did not seem convinced. He warily looked at Kakashi's chin and frowned more and more as he went.

Naruto reached up to rub furiously at his eyes after a few silent moments and the action caused him to lose his balance and he began to fall a bit backwards. Kakashi instinctively reached out and snagged the kid, coming to a sitting stop on the other side of the bed with the kid in his lap.

"Careful…"

"Let go!" Naruto freaked at this contact and pushed harshly at Kakashi's chest trying to get loose. Kakashi did not let go and watched somewhat transfixed. The pushes were half-hearted and there was little pressure from them and it seemed to tire Naruto out fairly quickly and he dissolved into a hacking fit.

Kakashi merely held tighter after that and relaxed a little when the kid seemed to reach out and grab onto the material of his vest. After a few seconds the boy began to shiver again and cuddled himself into Kakashi further and rested his head just below Kakashi's chin, right where the high collar of his vest opened up.

"Are you sick Naruto-kun?" Kakashi asked quietly after the boy seemed to have settled. He received a small nod against his chest. "What's wrong?"

"My head hurts…." Naruto snuffed as he grasped tighter to the Jounin's vest and shut his eyes tightly. "And my throat hurts…"

Kakashi reached up slowly with the hand not supporting the boy's back and let his hand rest on the boy's forehead. He frowned more realizing that the shivering was not a fearful reaction but probably one tied to the fever the boy was running. He let his hand drop slightly and then pointed to the bruise he had noted at the beginning of this confrontation.

"Where did you get that?"

Naruto drew his arm in quickly and hugged it to him and shook his head harshly as if refusing to answer Kakashi.

"Naruto…"

"Sensei did it." Naruto frowned. He was not going to tell Kakashi which one had done it, obviously because he left a name out. "I started coughin' in class and he grabbed me really hard and drug me outside. He got really mad at me. Said I did it on purpose to get them all sick…"

Kakashi sighed heavily and shut his eye. Sometimes he really did wonder about the sanity of others. Some were slowly opening up to the boy now that he was being properly cared for, but others were still too blinded by the past to see anything other than the fox demon spirit. Naruto was bearing the brunt of those types of people almost every day so far.

"I didn't mean to Nii-san, I promise. I wasn't trying to…"

Kakashi began, somewhat to his own surprise, to rub at the boy's back in a slow circle. Naruto had taken his sigh and his silence as a sign of frustration, but wrongly assumed Kakashi was frustrated at him.

"I believe you Naruto. You wouldn't do that, I know. You could have told me though; you did not have to go to class if you were sick."

"I wasn't." Naruto frowned up at him. "It started at school."

"_Quick onset, high fever," _Kakashi slowly began piecing together what he was gleaning from the boy's broken train of thought. "_headache…_"

"Naruto is it just your head that hurts?"

"Uh-huh."

"You don't feel stiff or anything like that?" Kakashi tried to understand; sometimes kids were not as descriptive as adults when it came to things like this, which was a frustration when dealing with Academy students. But he only did that when absolutely necessary, but it did give him an idea that he had to ask differently. "What about your stomach? You said you weren't hungry."

Naruto seemed to flinch and his hands did go towards his stomach. "If I move my head too much it makes it feel weird." He whispered in response and clutched a little tighter to himself rather than Kakashi.

"Hmm." Kakashi hummed to himself and stood slowly with the boy balanced in his arms. He reached down and tugged on the blanket the boy had been using to keep himself warm and then made his way for the living room. Kakashi carefully set the boy down and let him cocoon himself again on the couch and then moved towards where he kept his old address book.

It was kind of later in the evening now and he knew he probably should take the kid to the hospital, as he did feel rather hot when he had laid his fingers on his forehead in the room, but something told him that if he made a move in that direction it would set the kid off. In all honesty Kakashi hated the place too and was not too sure who would be receptive to the boy or who would try to hurt him further while he was there.

Instead he was about to do something that dredged up a pretty harsh place. A few years ago he would simply have sought out Rin, she was good with kids and she was a pretty good medic-nin, but three years ago she had been sent along with a few medics to an outpost town and something had gone horribly wrong.

He pulled out a small black book and leafed through it till he found a familiar name and one that made him sigh heavily.

"_Just write it down will you. It will make me feel better."  
"Rin honestly…"  
"Kakashi please. What if I'm on a mission and you come back hurt? She may not be a ninja but she's a great medic. Just write down Yoshi's address and come with me to meet her. It will make me feel better."  
"You keep saying that."  
"Because you keep being stubborn. Please, for me." _

Kakashi stared at the name Yoshida Kita as if it were a taboo. Kita was a medic in which Rin had a pretty good friendship. Apparently she was good enough of a friend for Rin to ask Kita to help her keep an eye on Kakashi because she believed him unable to do so. At the time Kakashi had begrudgingly agreed to Rin's request because she was all he had left really. If it made her feel better why not and Kita was a quiet sort, she was polite and had not appeared to be as pushy as Rin. She had an odd personality in that she preferred everyone she called 'friend' to call her Yoshi.

But it was shortly after that was when Rin never came back. He hardly spoke to the woman but a few missions after Rin's death he may have caught a glimpse of her checking on him. When he confronted her once about it she merely smiled sadly and told him she did not want to disappoint Rin. She had promised after all.

Kakashi glanced back at the huddled, miserable child on the couch and sighed again. A good thing about Kita being just a medic was she was better able to deal with illnesses or wounds that were not particularly related to being in the field. She was more of a doctor than anything.

He memorized the address he had for her and hoped she still lived there. He approached Naruto carefully and when he did not flinch or dart away from him he again scooped the kid up surely in his arms and allowed Naruto to cuddle into him.

"You're not going to like this but you need to see a doctor."

"No nii-san, I'm okay..I promise…"

"Don't worry, she's not too bad, I promise. And no hospital, I promise."

"You promise…"

"On my honor as a ninja."

That seemed to placate the boy and he frowned but did not protest as Kakashi went out the window and began heading towards Kita's. Kakashi frowned as the kid shivered against him, even bundled as he had him and began coughing again. Maybe he was crazy like Asuma and Kurenai thought. What did he know about a sick kid? He promised no hospital but what if he had to go on a mission or Kita believed he needed to go?

"_But think about it. If he was still at the orphanage or alone…" _

Something was better than nothing, was that not what he kept telling Asuma? So far that philosophy had been his guiding force and so far it had worked. This was just something more involved than making sure the kid was safe and fed; way more involved.

And as he stood outside the door of the address he had been given he found himself somewhat hesitant. Who was to say Kita would not be just like others in the village? She had seen the handiwork of the fox first hand and may have lost loved ones that night just like anyone else. What if she was not here? Someone lived here, that was apparent. A dim light was in one of the windows and he could distinctively smell something cooking.

Naruto coughed again and that was all the prodding he needed. Kakashi knocked and then waited patiently until the door opened rather quickly.

"_Dammit." _

It was a man standing at the door looking somewhat perplexed. "Can I help you?"

"My apologizes I was looking for Yoshida Kita."

"Oh. Hey Yoshi! Someone's here looking for you? A ninja."

The man stepped back and a familiar dark haired woman stepped to the door and blinked at him. Kakashi fidgeted under her surprised gaze but stood tall and still while trying not to think of Rin at the same time.

"Kami, Kakashi?" she stepped outside and pulled the door shut behind her. "Is that you?"

"Hai, Kita-san."

"Haven't I told you to call me Yoshi?" She crossed her arms in front of her and emulated Rin and her concerned/annoyed way and then smirked a bit as Kakashi shook his head but refused to call her by such an informal and familiar name. Her hair was much longer now, down past her back and silky looking, instead of short and coarse. She wore more civilian looking clothing and Kakashi momentarily thought she had retired already and he was making a mistake.

But it was too late to back out now, and he moved his arms a bit to reveal Naruto who clutched tightly to his vest seeing they were in the presence of someone new. Kita gasped a little and stepped forward to look more closely. "Kakashi, whose child is this?"

"This is Naruto. I'm his guardian." Kakashi admitted and flinched when Kita's head shot up and her caramel eyes bored into him, unbelieving. "I've been keeping an eye on him for the past year or two…"

"Someone was insane enough to trust you with a child? Rin would be lau…." Kita stopped and reached up to her mouth and backed away instantly. Kakashi flinched harshly at the name but did not retreat like he normally would. "I'm sorry, I did not mean to say.."

"It is alright Kita-san. I do believe I still came did I not?" Kakashi smirked a little in a failed attempt to make light of the shared pain they both had. About that time Naruto coughed and burrowed deeper into Kakashi's warmth and Kakashi smiled sadly at Kita, whose attention was back on Naruto. "Rin trusted you; I was not sure who I could take him to."

Kita returned to her close quarters and reached out to touch Naruto's brow, which caused the boy to flinch and close his eyes tightly. "He's who I think he is?"

"Hai."

"Poor thing." She seemed to whisper while brushing her fingers through the blonde's hair. "Come on, my office is outback."

Kita led the way through a side gate that had been previously closed and locked. Down a narrow ally beside her house they finally came to the back yard of the home, which Kakashi could not have guessed was there, to a small one room building that she opened up and walked in, flipping on a switch as she went.

There inside the small hut was everything Kakashi was hoping to see. There were books upon books and diagrams of the human body around. Jars and bottles of unidentified liquids and pills were stacked up to one side of the small office and in the center was a small bed with clean crisp white sheets on it.

Kita went to a cabinet and was pulling out a white coat and latex gloves while she motioned with her other hand to put Naruto on the bed. Kakashi went to comply but found Naruto did not want to let loose just yet and ended up just sitting on the edge with the blonde in his lap. Kita smiled a little and chuckled as she finished getting ready and came to stand in front of Kakashi.

"Lots of kids are getting sick this time of year, little bit of a pandemic I think." She knelt down and again reached out to ruffle Naruto's hair. "Not feeling so well Naruto-kun?"

Naruto shook his head shortly and warily watched as Kita went about checking the boy's health for herself, taking his temperature and the like while moving around Kakashi who Naruto had still not let go of.

"Has he told you what he's feeling or is he normally this quiet?" Kita stood and turned her attention to Kakashi.

"Headache, fever, not hungry, if that helps." Kakashi shrugged trying to appear not as invested but saw Kita's little grin spreading and sighed. "The coughing. He's normally quiet though, still haven't broken him of it yet."

"The bruise?" Kita nodded down towards his arm and Kakashi sighed and shook his head a bit. "Normal then?"

"Hai, as much as I wish it wasn't."

Kita hummed to herself as she went for her shelves with bottles and medicines. Naruto apparently was slowly relaxing because he turned enough to keep his eye on her as she went about pouring something from one large jar into a smaller one and began scribbling on the paper lining of the smaller. He glanced up at Kakashi for reassurance then went back about watching her.

"Oh a bit curious now." Kita grinned in pleasure and knelt again to Naruto's level. "Decided I wasn't so bad huh?"

"You didn't stick me with nothing…"

"Nope, count yourself lucky. Kakashi-san got you here before you got too sick I think. So no needles tonight."

That made Naruto smile happily. Kakashi quirked an eyebrow at her inquisitively and she laughed again.

"What about the fever?"

"It's manageable still. It's the flu, the fever always spikes high and then slowly comes down as the illness runs its course." Kita reached behind her to a cabinet and took out a spoon and clasped it with the bottle. "Kids can be pretty resilient to that type of thing, but if it goes any higher or he becomes nonresponsive then you should probably take him to the hospital."

"No way you promis…" Kakashi quickly put his hand over the kid's mouth and nodded to Kita and took in the instruction.

"I see he has the same aversion to doctors as you do." Kita steadily poured out some of the thick liquid of the bottle in her hands into the spoon. "Well then Naruto, I need you to take this before I let Kakashi take you home, otherwise you will be going to a hospital."

Without any prodding or bribing Naruto quickly opened his mouth and Kita gave him a dose of whatever it was that she was giving him. She smiled and threw the spoon towards a small sink and then held the bottle of medicine for Kakashi to take and he tucked it away in his kunai pouch, which he had forgotten to take off before his impromptu nap, thankfully.

"Give a spoonful at least every six hours, it's gonna make him sleepy but he's probably tired anyway. Just let him rest and make sure he's drinking plenty of liquid. Probably won't be hungry for a few days at least." Kita took off the gloves and smiled sadly at Kakashi. "Really I'm sorry about earlier. And I think if Rin were here she'd be impressed. I mean obviously your taking good care of him."

Kakashi stood with Naruto and nodded somewhat curtly. "Thank you Kita-san. I owe you…"

"Oh just having you show up of your own free will was enough." Kita laughed and ran her hands through her hair. "And really, call me Yoshi. Kita sounds too harsh."

Kakashi blinked at her somewhat surprised. Even Rin did not understand her fascination with her last name shortened. "Very well…Yoshi-san."

"Ah see you can learn. It was nice meeting you Naruto-kun, I hope you feel better."

"Arigato." Naruto mumbled and looked up at Kakashi. "No hospital right?"

"Right." Kakashi reassured him as he left, leaving a laughing Kita behind him. He followed the same route home and did his best not to go too fast and make the boy feel any colder than he did already. He was also careful not to jostle the bottle in his pouch.

"_I think if Rin were here, she'd be impressed." _

Kakashi glanced up at the sky as he went along with his cargo and wondered idly about Kita's impression.

When he finally made it back to the apartment he entered quietly and found that Naruto was already sleeping in his arms. He stopped and considered the boy carefully making sure he was alright. Naruto merely yawned a bit and nuzzled himself into the familiar fabric of his Jounin vest. The coughing had eased and though he still felt warm to Kakashi he did not seem uncomfortable as he had before.

"_Medicine probably helped to. Kid must've been worn out and tired." _

Kakashi carefully maneuvered Naruto into one arm and let the boy rest his head on his shoulder. He took his free hand and put the medicine bottle on the kitchen counter and dug out a small glass and filled it part way with water. He then proceeded to walk back into his bedroom and tried to ease the child on the bed but he gripped around Kakashi's neck and whimpered a little, protesting the loss of comfort.

"Naruto, it's okay. I just want to take off my vest." Kakashi whispered to the boy and tried again. This time the boy let go and curled up with a frown on his face.

Kakashi slipped off the vest and various other equipment that he had forgotten before and sat on the windowsill watching Naruto for a few minutes before deciding that Kita was right and the boy would be fine he just needed to give it time and let whatever concoction she had given him a chance to work. His stomach growled and he snorted. Dinner.

"_Well she said he wouldn't be hungry for a couple of days…" _Kakashi frowned seeing Naruto still frowning as he slept somewhat fitfully. He had told the boy he was only taking off his vest but…

Kakashi wondered when he was going to get a scar on his thumb from summoning so much as of late. But he still scraped at the toughened skin and went about calling upon the little pug that had started this whole mess. Pakkun came as called and looked up at Kakashi quietly for his instruction.

"Stay with him for a few minutes Pakkun, I need to get something to eat."

Pakkun hopped up to the bed and sniffed at Naruto. "What's wrong with the runt?"

"He's sick." Kakashi said absent-mindedly as he went back to the kitchen to quickly find whatever he could. There was not much but he quickly found enough to satisfy his stomach and then returned to his room to find the pug curled up tightly against Naruto's chest and found the little boy had wrapped his arms around the pug's frame and was now very still as he slept.

"He's warm." Pakkun grunted as Kakashi sat behind the boy's back and pulled a book out of his nightstand.

"Hmm"

The rest of the night was spent reading and quietly checking on the boy from time to time. At some point Kakashi found himself also falling asleep and he groaned a bit. He covered his eye with a hand and slid down a little until his head hit a pillow. He felt Naruto shift beside him and he found a little hand clutching to his shirt and a head burrowing into his chest. He quietly let his arm wrap around the boy's back and inadvertently around Pakkun as well.

And just before he fell asleep he was almost sure he could hear a familiar male voice chuckling and the familiar feeling of his own hair being brushed back as well. _"See Kashi-kun, that wasn't so hard now was it?" _

"_Sensei.."_

_

* * *

_

**Author Note x2:**Ha FLUFFY BUNNY!!!! So yeah not dead but did go on vacation and I was smart and didn't take the laptop with me. I would have missed out on the awesome fun of "Nawlins" It was great fun but I kinda left without leaving a note didn't I? LOL Here is cute fluffiness while I get back into the groove and start up the Chuunin Exams for reals this time. Oh and a little bit of background on Kita I guess ;) I made her up purely because I saw the name Yoshida and I play World of Warcraft where my hunter's name is Ryoshi but a few people in my guild have dubbed me "Yoshi" and the nickname is a fav of mine :D I was a child of the Nintendo era after all! LOL See you all soon!


	10. A Genin and Chuunin

**The Fox and the Hound**

**Chapter 8:** A Genin and Chuunin

**Chapter Summary:** Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke set out to prove themselves in the Chuunin Exams. What obstacles will they overcome and just how will things unfold.

**Author Note:**I have a bad feeling about this ;) don't you folks. HA! Sorry I'm in a goofy mood this evening. Let the fun and games of the Chuunin exams begin! It's gonna be a long haul on this one but fun and games all the way. ;) Oh in case some of you are in need of a new song for your libraries…may I suggest "Ain't no Rest for the Wicked" by Cage the Elephant. God the internet is fun for these random songs outta nowhere. (Has played it four or five times as of this writing and can just imagine Naruto sitting on a rooftop grinning and planning his next prank during the chorus) Go..go buy and enjoy! (jk jk)

* * *

For the first time Naruto found he was not the first one to show up. As a team all three of them had agreed to meet near the swing outside the academy grounds and go in together for the exams. According to the instructions given to them by Kakashi the first portion of the test was there and more than likely it was written.

And Naruto was almost betting that the set up was the same as the Genin Exams from a few months ago. They had a written test, then a few tests of their knowledge of Ninjutsu and Taijutsu. Just yesterday as they all sat around training ground three Sasuke had asked if they all were sure.

"_You guys want to do this?"_

"_Damn right I do." _

It was only Sakura who had hesitated slightly and looked sheepish as she added a little nod of confirmation.

"_Don't worry Sakura-chan! Sasuke and me will look out for you, anyways you're the smartest one, we need you hai?" _

Naruto and Riri came strolling up slowly to the swing outside the academy doors he smiled as he saw Sakura there swinging slightly in the breeze. She smiled as they approached her and Riri promptly laid his massive head in her lap, stopping her swaying on the swing. She reached down and rubbed between his ears and smiled a bit more.

"Really Sakura, it'll be alright. You know a lot of stuff Sasuke and I don't." Naruto grinned big and she laughed a little at him. "And me and Sasuke will protect ya, we won't let anything happen to you."

"He's right you know."

Naruto glanced up to the tree to find Sasuke above them, arms crossed and his eyes trained on the groups of other Genin from different villages and their own filtering in through the main doors. He smirked a little watching a particular batch and then leapt down to the other two and shrugged.

"How hard can it be?"

"Right, we've got this in the bag." Naruto joined in with Sasuke and watched Sakura lighten up a little bit as she stood.

"Thanks guys." She kind of whispered and kept her hand on Riri's head as they moved towards the same doors everyone else was going in.

Once they were in it was a good deal of other Genin standing around in groups of three. Naruto and Sasuke instantly were eyeing the room and picking out anything of interest or note. A lot of the participants looked older than they did, some looked scarred and battered, and a few looked about like they did; young and ill-informed.

Many began moving towards the steps leading up to the third floor, where the exam room was supposed to be and others congregated in corners or alcoves to spy on any stragglers coming in.

"Hey you, over here."

All three of them turned to find a white-eyed boy approaching. Naruto snarled involuntarily as he approached a familiar pink-topped girl following along behind.

"What's your name?"

The Hyuuga's eyes were focused entirely on Sasuke. For his credit he did not wilt or falter as he turned, crossed his arms and sneered in the Hyuuga's general direction.

"I'm not obliged to answer you."

"What do you think…"

Before the situation escalated any a green blur caught Naruto's eye and he smiled happily. Lee was there. He came to stand just behind Neji and to the other side of TenTen and beamed happily at Naruto as well. His arrival must have sparked something for the other two because they turned to Naruto, now recognizable and then Neji turned his back on the whole situation and began walking towards the stairs as well.

"Come on Lee." TenTen prodded their other teammate but Lee stood still.

"Go on without me, I just want to check something."

"What is all that about?" Naruto heard TenTen questioning Neji but she did not receive an answer for it. Instead Naruto took his attention back to Lee, who was standing tall and still as he watched his teammates retreat.

"I cannot believe that someone who is Naruto's teammate would have such an attitude." Lee began talking, eyes still away from them but slowly he turned around to face the three again. "Uchiha Sasuke, the Rookie to beat this year."

"Yeah what's it to you?"

"Eh let it go Lee, he's just got issues." Naruto tried to divert Lee's attention but he could already tell what Lee's thought was. It was little help that Sasuke was treating him with little attention or respect because that only threw oil on the fire.

"My name is Rock Lee and I challenge you. Everyone is always going on and on about the Uchiha Clan and how great they were. You should be a good test for me." Lee went on as he fell into a fighting stance.

Sasuke seemed a little put off by Lee's insinuation but had not made a move to mimic Lee's readying movements and stood with his hands in his pockets. But then that smirk came out. Naruto stood quietly watching sure things were about to escalate.

"_I wonder if we can get disqualified for fighting outside of the boundaries of the exam…_" Naruto wondered idly as he watched the smirk grow on Sasuke's face. He only smirked like that if he was sure he was about to prove something to Naruto or he was enjoying the sparring he got with Kakashi.

"Fine, let's do this. It'll be fun."

"You're makin' a mistake." Naruto hummed lightly and threw his hands up behind his head. Who was he to stop the two but he had a pretty good idea the outcome.

"Naruto's right. We have to register by three, that's less than half an hour from now."

"Oh don't worry. This will be over in five seconds."

Without warning Sasuke pushed off and was flying at Lee. At the last second Lee was gone and Sasuke's well aimed punch hit empty air and he rebounded quickly to find Lee coming from the air behind and kicking in a whirlwind motion. Sasuke was dodging but just barely as the Taijutsu specialist was a lot faster than the Uchiha believed he was.

He went to block just a few seconds too slow and with one solid kick in the face he was flying backwards towards the wooden floors. Sakura gasped and called out to him but Naruto merely snickered a bit. He had tried to warn Sasuke, slightly, and Sasuke had ignored him. This was going to be a good humiliation because they could not walk into this exam thinking they were better. They would be targets if they kept acting that way.

As Sasuke picked himself up Lee seemed to straighten and a gleam hit his eyes.

"That won't work, not on me. I know what that eye is and it is why your clan is held in such high regard. It can see through any jutsu, but that won't work….not on me."

Naruto glanced towards Sasuke, snarling as he stood. There were the familiar red orbs that he now attributed to Kakashi only in both eyes instead of one. Kakashi had noted that the Uchiha had awoken the eye during their battle with Haku but Naruto had yet to see him use it that much. Now he was trying to use it against Lee who Sasuke saw as using some sort of jutsu or chakra to increase his speed.

"_Lee's just fast you dolt." _Naruto thought to himself watching Lee dart around Sasuke, teasing and prodding the younger until Sasuke lashed out and missed yet again. _"You should see the amount of weights he uses, you'll never catch him unless you start predicting where he's going to be, not where he is." _

Again Lee knocked Sasuke back and Sakura, predictably yelled out. This time it appeared Lee would be going forward to continue his barrage, letting the bandages around his arms start to unwind and flail out like ribbons in the breeze. Naruto moved at this, not sure what it was that was pushing Lee so far today but he knew enough to stop it before it got too out of hand.

He pushed off from the floor and came between Lee and Sasuke, throwing out his own kick towards Lee's midsection only to be dodged. Lee landed, his arm bandages still loose and flailing and Naruto rushed forward to meet him with well-aimed punches that held no force behind them.

He heard Sasuke land, Sakura moving to help him and grinned as he and Lee focused in on each other.

"Dunno what's got you so riled up Bushy Brow, but aren't you and I supposed to be rivals?" Naruto chuckled as Lee blocked one of his fists aimed for his nose with both hands clasped in front of him. "Maybe I should be the one insulted."

"Forgive me Naruto-san, I meant no disregard." Lee replied, pushing Naruto back and coming up with a high kick aimed at his shoulders. Naruto ducked down and rolled under the leg and began trying to get up behind Lee as he had been with Sasuke. "But I had to see for myself this Uchiha's power. He is just like Neji in that he believes himself special because of only his Clan and his bloodline. He is not at all like you and I."

"Oh really?" Naruto reached up and blocked the boy's leg, curving back to kick, this one aimed for his head. He grasped the plush orange fabric that encased Lee's lower legs and refused to let go and Lee refused to back away.

"Why did you stop me? Are you not as curious as I am? Are you not curious to see his strength and know you could beat it?"

"Not really. Anyway he's my teammate; I think I'd be pretty stupid to just let you kick the snot out of him."

Lee got loose and spun away, only to push off and come at Naruto again. Both of them dodged and parried each other until Lee once again began to focus on the bandages and let more unfurl from around his wrists. Naruto had to admit he was curious as to what it was Lee was trying to do with them; he had not seen him use this particular fighting style yet…

Just as they went airborne, he did just as before and got up behind Naruto but this time a flying pinwheel stopped the fight, trapping one of the long bandages in the wall and causing Lee to flip and land crouched and gave Naruto a chance to land himself in front of Sasuke and Sakura.

"Alright that's enough!" a dark maroon turtle admonished Lee and his 'rival' took on a guilty posture as he frowned. "You know better Lee! That jutsu was forbidden for a reason."

"_Oh this is just great, he's talking to a turtle." _Naruto grinned but then looked to Riri, standing quietly to the side with an interested cock to his head. "_Oh wait…I talk to a dog…"_

"I was not actually planning to use that jutsu! I would not against Naruto-san! It's just that…"

Naruto took the chance to look behind him. Sasuke was knelt down glaring daggers into his back and Lee's. He heard the slight growl coming from his teammate and frowned. Sakura was crouched beside him looking for any serious injury and asking time and time again if he was alright. But Sasuke's face said it all: "_How could I lose to that freak!?" _

A loud puff pulled Naruto's attention back to Lee and found Gai standing atop the turtle's shell now in one of his famous poses. Naruto grinned and relaxed; Gai would surely put Lee back in the right state of mind.

"Hey what's shaking?"

Naruto could not help it; he burst out laughing at the ridiculousness in front of him. Gai-sensei was one of the most random, eccentric, Jounin he knew but kami did he love it. He heard Sakura's half little gasp and Sasuke seemed to let loose on some of his rage and came up beside Naruto to blink at the new scene in front of him.

"There's two of them." He muttered lowly and glanced over to Naruto, still laughing.

"Oh yeah and it just got better too." Naruto gasped a little and looked back to Sakura who was just as unsure as Sasuke was.

"Lee, I am disappointed in you!" Just as Gai said the words he reeled back and gave Lee what appeared to be a harsh jab to the jaw and knocked the green-clad clone back. Sasuke and Sakura gaped but Naruto knew it was a 'love' tap anyway. Gai could do a lot worse than that.

Then came the weeping and the hugging and Naruto began giggling again. This was just too awesome to watch. Sakura and Sasuke were stunned into silence as the two finished their little proclamations and posturing and were turning to leave when Sakura finally found her ground again and lashed out.

"HEY! He attacked us! We didn't do anything to him at all and he …."

"Oh yeah, forgot about you." Gai glanced back at the three of them and Naruto knew he was biting his tongue and **hard**, because he would probably love nothing more than to accuse Naruto of acting like Kakashi and prodding Lee on. "I suppose you did break the rule of no fighting and disrupted the Chuunin exams...I suppose you should have a harsher punishment?"

"Yes sir."

"Hmmm well how do 500 laps sound?"

"Outstanding sir!"

"Wow…they're insane." Sakura said lowly as she came to stand between Sasuke and Naruto.

"You have no idea." Naruto chuckled and pointed to the turtle. "Do you think that turtle is a summon or a pet?"

"Oh no! He's coming this way!" Sakura freaked and began backing a little away from the approaching matching set of green beasts.

"Tell me! How is Kakashi-sensei?"

"Do you know him?" Sasuke replied evenly and Naruto snorted a bit under his breath.

"_Quit giving him openings, I won't be able to hold it any longer if you do!" _he sniggered as Gai-sensei grinned himself.

"Do I know Kakashi?" Gai rubbed at his chin in a thoughtfully and closed his eyes for a brief moment. "Some people say we are rivals for all eternity."

"There's no way!" Sakura proclaimed loudly looking on in disbelief.

"More like you say that." Naruto muttered under his breath and he earned a glance from Gai.

In a blink Gai was behind them, more behind Sakura and Sasuke than him but it earned shocked reactions from the other two.

"My current record is 50 wins and 49 losses, which is one better than his by the way." Gai proudly boasted, his hand on his chin again as he let the other two squirm. "I'm sorry for the trouble Lee caused you. Look into my eyes and accept my sincerest apologies."

The looks on Sakura's and Sasuke's faces were enough to make Naruto start laughing again. If anything Gai-sensei was worth a good dozen laughs when he was around. By the looks of it they were trying to figure out how exactly this green aberration had beaten Kakashi-sensei in anything but Naruto knew the truth. The two of them had random encounters and it was not always a test of their ninja skills but something more mundane like staring contests or rock, paper, scissors.

"Lee!" Gai called out and flipped a kunai towards the little windmill still holding Lee to the wall in a sense. "I think you and these fine young ninja should head to the examination room, don't you think?"

"Hai, Gai-sensei."

"Remember give it your best! Lee, see you later."

And with a little puff the Green Beast of Konoha was gone again and Lee was going about wrapping up his hands.

"I also apologize, Sasuke." Lee bowed to him formally and finished up his wraps. "It is not exactly you I wished to test myself against…you were just practice."

Lee flipped away towards the top of the stairs and the three of them let them go. Lee's words had struck a mark and Sasuke was snarling again.

"Oh Sasuke." Sakura whimpered a bit in some consolation but that only set Sasuke off further.

"Shut up! Next time I'll drive him to his knees."

"Yeah right, coming from the guy who just got his butt kicked."

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled at him just as Sasuke moved forward and slammed Naruto against a nearby wall.

"And you! Just who the hell are you? You knew those two didn't you? You blocked him; you countered him, that isn't possible." Sasuke yelled in his face and Naruto winced.

"Hey I was only trying to save your ass…"

"You're not answering the question!" Sasuke yelled back. "You kept up with him! Just how many people do you know?"

"None of your business is it?" Naruto shoved back and got Sasuke to let go. The Uchiha was fairly seething in his general direction and it rubbed Naruto the wrong way. "Anyway, think about it. You saw his hands right? Bushy Brow trains till he drops, and that's more than you train, that's all I'm saying."

Sasuke snarled but backed up more from him and he finally turned away. Naruto straightened his shirt and glared at Sasuke's back while the boy seemed to fume to himself. Kami he was so touchy about this whole 'being better' bit of his. Maybe Lee had a point about Sasuke and his thinking he was better just because of his clan and his bloodline.

"Fine then, I guess things finally got interesting." Sasuke snorted and headed up the stairs as well and left the rest of them to catch up. Sakura quickly shot after him with a quick little look in his direction but Naruto stood still for a moment frowning. Sasuke had come at him just like a lot of those drunks used to and it unnerved him. There was a seed there, a seed of a familiar friend and it unnerved Naruto to no end. He was angry at Naruto, it was clear to him as the sun outside. But it was not like their little competition back in Wave, this was not like his and Lee's friendly banter and fighting, this was different.

Riri came up beside him and whined a little in sympathy and Naruto merely patted his head. _"Please, please, don't be like them. I didn't mean to hide from you both but I just can't risk it. I just can't."_

He brought up the rear as they neared room 301 and they stopped to see Kakashi standing in front of the door. Naruto frowned; maybe they would be getting their own lecture about what had just happened.

"Glad you came Sakura, now you can all three formally register for the Chuunin Exams."

"Huh?" Naruto cocked his head to the side as Sakura and Sasuke also looked up questioningly at the Jounin then over to Sakura.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked timidly and glanced at the other two.

"Well you see only groups of three can apply for and take part in these exams." Kakashi said looking out the window as if he was disinterested in their reaction.

Naruto and Sasuke both found themselves nodding. Both of them had already noticed the large amount of three man teams entering the building and wandering around in tight formed groups. It was not as a shock to them as it should have been, they both were aware of it.

"But I thought you said that it was up to the individual?"

"That's right I did."

"Then was it a lie?"

"Not entirely. It is an individual decision to decide if they are ready but the decision affects the group as a whole." Kakashi shrugged a bit and focused in on Sakura. "I didn't tell you before because I didn't want the guys pressuring you. At the same time I didn't want you feeling obliged to enter because of any feelings you might have towards Sasuke….or Naruto. I wanted you to come to the decision of your own free will. It's a moot point at any rate, good luck you three."

Kakashi stepped out of the way, a small smirk in his eye as the three passed him. Sakura and Sasuke went in first with Riri right behind them. Naruto stopped at the door and looked back and received a small wave of Kakashi's hand and a nod of his head. It was okay, he believed they were ready. Naruto followed after his teammates sure they would be fine.

Of course he had not been expecting a room packed full of ninja all glaring at them as they entered. Sakura had frozen in place as well, looking out across the room full of older, more experienced, Genin who were watching them in turn.

The silence was broken by a high pitched squeal of Sasuke's name and a blonde girl draping her arms around Sasuke's neck as the Uchiha went stiff at the contact. "Sasuke I'm so glad you showed up! I missed those good looks of yours."

Sakura went full force for Ino while Naruto looked behind her to find Shikamaru and Choji nearby. Sasuke had gone absolutely still as to not inadvertently start something trapped between the two girls as he was.

"Oh good! All three stooges are here." Naruto grinned evilly over to Shikamaru and Choji. As usual, Choji was munching on chips and Shikamaru looked bored.

"Hey! You know what?" Shikamaru moved forward but quit and sighed and returned to normal. "Ah forget it; I knew this was going to be a drag."

"Well what do you know…Nara wasn't lying was he?"

Naruto froze and looked to his right. Another group of three was approaching them and it was not going to be a pretty sight. Kiba was stalking up in his usual manner, Akamaru perched atop his head and Shino and Hinata behind him.

"Whatcha got there Uzumaki?" Kiba snuffed hard and pointed towards Ririshii, who merely sat down and puffed himself up to full size proudly beside Naruto. "Nara said you had a mutt I just didn't believe him. I ought to pound your ass into the ground, copying like that."

"Pft, as if Kiba." Naruto frowned and crossed his arms. "Ririshii is way cooler than that puppy of yours."

At the insult Akamaru sat up a little bit and began growling in their direction. "Looks like a second rate mutt to me, what do you think Akamaru?"

Akamaru barked and Kiba grinned cockily. "We're gonna blow you guys out of the water."

"Careful Kiba," Sasuke sneered at the other rookie. "Don't want to get too cocky."

"Hehe, we've been training hard, you three aren't any match for us now."

"What do you think we've been doing?" Naruto snarled back and Riri barked in rebuttal as well.

"Um, I don't think Kiba meant anything serious." Hinata whispered while she played with her finger tips in front of her. "And Ririshii is really quite handsome…" Naruto frowned over to her and she quickly looked away and blushed hard. It took Kiba's attention off of them as well as he looked over at his teammate.

"You gotta be joking! Akamaru is way better than that mutt!" Kiba rebounded on the shy Hyuuga and pointed up at his dog. Naruto almost wanted to ask Kiba if he was going to say Akamaru was cuter too but due to the glares in their general direction, their little reunion was enough and he kept his mouth shut.

"This is going to get so troublesome." Shikamaru groaned and leaned back against a pillar.

"No kidding." Naruto grumbled in response and he and Shikamaru shared a quick look before zeroing in on the outsider of the group, standing nearby and watching. He wore a Leaf Headband but he was not recognizable with the shaggy silver hair and odd glasses.

Whoever he was, he was sure interested in them though, like most of the room at large, glaring in their general direction.

"It is time…." A loud booming voice drew all attention towards the front of the room. "That we begin the first portion of the exam."

Everyone straightened and got serious, even Ino and Sakura forgot each other and paid attention. The scar-faced Jounin up front began to introduce himself and the first portion and all of them lined up to receive their numbers. As everyone was seated around them, proctors began handing out papers to the candidates.

"_So it's written. That's fine." _Naruto grinned as Ririshii, far too big to do as Akamaru and sit atop his head, curled up at his feet instead and pretended to go to sleep there. It did not alert the sentinels and neither Akamaru nor Ririshii were forbidden from the proceedings. That meant all the rules the man was putting forth and the warning about the sentinel's jobs meant they were forcing them to cheat.

Naruto took a quick glance at Sasuke, already his fingers were steepled in front of him as he listened to the instruction but his eyes looked red and Naruto was glad to see he already understood the trick. A quick glance at Sakura told him she was already reading the questions and preparing answers in her head, of all of them she was the most book smart. But she was also behind him. Sasuke could cheat off of her easily but any time he would try to go back and look he would be caught in no time and all three of them would fail.

That meant finding someone more suitable nearby.

So when Hyuuga Hinata, shy, little Hinata, sat next to him Naruto grinned at her warmly and celebrated in his head.

"_Jackpot." _

_

* * *

_

"_I can't go along with this. They maybe under your care now, Kakashi but they were my students, I know these kids, I trained them first. I don't know what you're trying to prove.."_

"_You know he has a point. You're putting a lot of pressure on those kids. Why so impatient? I held my team back one year so they could hone their skills and mature. Let them enjoy their youth a little longer." _

Kakashi frowned beneath his mask as he stared up at the vaulted ceiling above him. After leaving the exam hall he had this momentary stroke of doubt hit him and it was nagging him constantly now, despite it being quiet and calm all around him.

Both Iruka and Gai had confronted him, why he still was not sure. Gai he understood, he stuck his nose in every chance he got, but Iruka was a more timid type and they had barely crossed paths more than once all the years Naruto was under his tutelage. Naruto never really talked about the teacher much and Kakashi never asked but the outburst had come only AFTER Kakashi had nominated his Genin, Iruka had held his tongue when Asuma and Kurenai had done the same thing.

"_I really didn't think they were that close, maybe I was wrong…" _he thought quietly sitting in a small lounge room a few floors away from where the first portion of the exam was being given. "_I wish I was as confident as I sounded though…"_

"_Even Naruto must be a little scared." _

"Worried?"

Kakashi blinked up at Asuma, sitting across from him with Kurenai a few seats away. Asuma had a cocky grin plastered on his face as he took a slow drag on his cigarette. "Hmm, just contemplating how quiet it is without the rookies around…"

"How quiet it is without Naruto around you mean." Asuma chuckled some more and flicked off some ashes in a nearby bin.

"Funny…."

"Eh don't worry about it too much. Chances are they'll all be back before we get too used to it." Asuma sighed and looked over his shoulder to the blue sky outside.

"Why's that?"

"I heard that their first examiner this year is Ibiki."

"_Ah so their chances of even passing the first portion are iffy." _Kakashi sighed quietly as he leaned back. "Great, sticking them with that sadist right off the bat."

"What sadist?" Kurenai questioned and Asuma chuckled a bit more.

"I forgot you're a new Jounin, Kurenai." Asuma feigned ignorance rather well but Kakashi was keener on the body language between them for it to fool him much. "Otherwise you wouldn't have to ask that."

"So I'm ignorant…" Kurenai's voice took on a dangerous tone and Kakashi gave Asuma a happy squint. He was going to pay for that jab later on when he and Kurenai were alone. "Who is he?"

"He's what you might call a 'specialist'." Kakashi decided to save his 'friend'.

"Oh yeah? In what?"

"Interrogation…torture...that sort of thing."

Kurenai seemed a little taken aback by the implication and Asuma jumped in to calm her a little further.

"Of course he won't be using physical torture during the test; he won't need to." Asuma took another drag and let his arms come up to the top of the couch he was sitting on. "That's not really his thing anyway. He works on people's minds not their bodies. He's famous for it."

"Everyone knows about the head of ANBU Torture and Interrogation…Morino Ibiki." Kakashi sighed and closed his eye. Of all the people to choose for the first exam that was the Hokage's choice? Ibiki? Oh Ibiki was probably relishing in the fun all those Genin were giving him right now. He would have them so scared to even breathe before the end of round one and that just egged Morino on further.

"You see he's a master of interrogation because he understands how the mind works. He knows just where to probe to uncover your weaknesses. The thing is he's so good at that that he doesn't need to use physical torture. He just messes up your head so bad that you torture yourself."

That was an understatement by far. Asuma only heard stories about Ibiki, probably from his father, but Kakashi… he had been in ANBU for many years and he had seen Ibiki's work. That man was brilliant from the standpoint of getting people to talk in a short amount of time, but it was downright scary if he turned that intellect on you.

On more than one occasion, as Captain he had been asked to witness interrogations and he always felt as if after it was over, Morino's attentions were on him.

"_After all, to be the one who finally cracked the code of the great Hatake Kakashi, that would be a feat." _ Ibiki had muttered once after a particularly grueling mission. Kakashi had wanted nothing more than to punch him in face but had merely threatened him about his place and gone about ignoring him.

Still he felt the man's attention to be suffocating in a sense and that every little twitch he made, every cocky, self-assured remark he made, was filed away somewhere for future use. Ibiki was a nightmare to all who met him and to Genin? He had to be a monster in human clothing.

And now a new threat had arisen from this consequence. Naruto was one of those Genin…if Ibiki made a point of pointing out Kakashi's Genin, just to see if they would spill anything would Naruto be able to hold his tongue? If Ibiki found out about Naruto….

"Ah see, now he's worried." Asuma nudged Kurenai with his elbow and Kakashi glared. Kurenai had a small smile now as she nodded along with Asuma.

"You haven't personally seen Ibiki work." Kakashi growled in frustration and took up a spot on the windowsill and played with the idea of just going out to train.

"Have the other two figured it out yet?" Kurenai gently probed and Kakashi looked back to her. Her eyes had softened slightly and she was merely curious so he sighed and caved in.

"Not so far as I can tell. They have only figured out Naruto's been faking…"

"Heh, Uchiha's not as perceptive as he boasts then." Asuma chuckled and tapped on his cigarette to loosen some more burned up ash from the tip. "Then again that kid's good at fooling people."

"Hmm" That was an understatement. Kakashi honestly had expected Naruto to slip up well before this but had let the boy let it be on his terms. So far he had found a nice balance between being an idiot and a good teammate to be relied upon.

"Hell I expect him to be the one that cracks Ibiki."

Kakashi glanced back at Asuma a little shocked at Asuma's faith in that belief. Sure Naruto was stubborn but faced with what Ibiki probably had cooked up he had to have some doubts…right?

"Oh come on. When has anything deterred that kid from what he wants? Ibiki will scare over half of those kids outta there and have the others shaking in their boots. That dumb kid of yours will be grinning the whole time like a mad hatter and call Ibiki on his bluff." Asuma smirked to himself.

"That dumb kid of mine…"

Kurenai snorted and hid her smile as Asuma and Kakashi stared at one another. Asuma grinned to himself and nodded. Kakashi grunted and turned back to watching the streets below but did not take off as he previous wanted to. That would give Asuma way too much satisfaction and he was not having that.

And he smirked a bit in pride. If one of the Genin were able to disable Ibiki and his sadistic forms of mind games, maybe Naruto was it. He was driven and he was prideful and he was stubborn. Ibiki would have a hard time getting Naruto to back down now. This was not just an increase in rank for Naruto….

It was one step closer to becoming Hokage. And Naruto would not throw that away. Anyway, he had a good feeling about the whole mess, because right above him on the roof was Naruto and Ririshii, snickering in quiet pleasure.

"Hey Whatcha you guys doing up here? Being lazy?"

Asuma whipped around so fast Kakashi was sure he had snapped his neck. He grinned as Naruto flipped over the tin roof and hung upside down right next to Kakashi while Asuma gaped. He recovered quickly though and smirked at the blonde.

"What... did you give up already Naruto?"

"Ha! As if you loser." Naruto grinned big and put up a thumb up sign. "We passed the test."

"Is that so?" Asuma took a puff of his cigarette and put it out nearby. "Just who all is 'we'."

"All the rookies and a bunch of other guys I didn't take the time to look at." Naruto shrugged upside down and beamed again after thinking about it. "Our second proctor is Anko-san."

"Oh Kami no." Kakashi hung his head and sighed. "What is wrong with the Hokage this year? Is he trying to kill all the Genin or did someone replace him?" The last part was directed more towards Asuma who blinked in the same surprise as Kakashi.

"Why are you here then Naruto? Why aren't you all at the second part of the exam?" Kurenai had kept her head a bit, mostly because Anko was another one of those 'secrets' the other Jounin let the new Jounin find out for themselves, but mostly for her own curiosity as well.

"She said she was going to let our Squad Leaders know where to make us meet her tomorrow morning, and then they let us loose." Naruto flipped into the lounge and gave Asuma a look as if he had something up his sleeve. "Guess that means she's comin' here."

"Forest of Death." Both Kakashi and Asuma muttered to themselves and then rubbed at their foreheads. Naruto brightened and watched amused.

"Wicked, we'll see ya guys; I got…um…things to do."

"Naruto." Kakashi warned.

"Don't worry _sensei." _Naruto grinned that grin and went back out to the roof. "I'm not going to hurt her….that much…"

"He knows Anko." Asuma muttered as he left.

"Hai, don't ask me how, I never asked. All I know is he knows her, she knows him, and they grate each other's nerves like nails on a chalkboard." Kakashi decided to go find Sakura and Sasuke to get a better idea of what had happened and knew where Naruto was headed. "And whatever he's up to, I rather be ignorant of it."

Naruto was going to get Anko so good that she singled him out during their second part of the exam.

"_Just great, he gets past Ibiki only to get her. He's trying to get himself killed, that's what he's doing…" _

Things just could not be simple could they?

* * *

The next morning came way too swiftly for Naruto and yet he had to admit he was chomping at the bit. He had not slept much mostly because he had been out bribing a certain restaurant owner and then watching from a safe distance to see his handiwork but also because he had been up a little later than he should have been working with his seals and preparing for the second stage.

Inadvertently Asuma and Kakashi had given him an idea of where the second test would be held and he had gone digging up info. It was a large swatch of land that was gated off and kept off limits to those under Chuunin and was full of critters, bugs, and other pitfalls to try to stall the entrants from getting to whatever objective Anko had in her head.

So Naruto had gone about testing himself further on sealing jutsu by sealing away little bits of everything like water containers, little non-perishable snacks, and first aid things like bandages and the like. He really had to remember to thank Ten-Ten when things got done; she had inadvertently given him the best tip ever by telling him he could use elements instead of weapons if he had wanted. Those weren't her exact words but once she had said the word he had realized what he was doing wrong, he was working with something unfamiliar and trying something unfamiliar at the same time. But water, wood, dirt, he knew those things well and had a quicker time figuring out what would contain those said items properly.

He had even thought of exploding tags and how they worked and linked them to sealing jutsu. Someone was sealing the powder and explosive element of the tags into slips of paper that were triggered by the tag being placed and touched with chakra. Of course he was not going to try that just yet but it had given him an idea he had not quite worked out yet.

His first real mission that had taken him away from Konoha had made him realize that his plants might have to go sometime without him being around to tend them like he did. The main concern being watering the dozen or so plants he had acquired. He had already found he could seal a small amount of clear liquid into the paper before it soaked through the medium and could release the seal and have it drip out of the paper as if it were a wet paper towel.

If he could just find the proper triggering seals he could, in theory of course, give each of his pots a rolled up seal with a supply of water that would be set to release only a set amount of water from the supply into the pot it was placed in.

Naruto had not quite gotten down the right formula yet, usually the seal decided to dump the whole supply of water instead of just the right amount but he was testing on an empty pot of soil so he was doing no damage yet.

But all it had taken was that spark and he had seen what he was doing wrong with the others. It was all so stupid that he found himself laughing at himself for not seeing it before. He was trying someone else's way but his was much better. Which was what Ten-Ten had pointed out to him: seals were personal to the user in some sense of things. He had to figure out what worked and what did not.

For now that was his little secret and he patted the small pouch up underneath his coat near his left shoulder with his 'supplies'. They were light enough to be carried and he had a feeling he was going to need a lot of what he had thought of. Beside him was Sakura, staring wide-eyed into the forest, Sasuke who was looking around them warily to gain a better perspective about the other entrants and Riri whose ears were swiveling around waiting for the proverbial kunai to fall.

And when it did everyone around him stepped at least one foot back and all threw up their kunai in defensive fashion as a kunai went whizzing right past his cheek, making a thin trail of blood as it did and swiping through a woman's long hair just behind him. Riri barked too late as Anko, looking pissed and fuming, came up behind him snagging him by the neck.

"You little RUNT! I knew you'd pull something, I knew it! I ought to kick your ass out right now but the rules won't let me."

Naruto snickered happily as Anko's gray eyes narrowed to a dangerous sneer and she reached up to swipe the blood away from his cut to freak everyone else out more.

"Nice blue tongue you got there Anko-sama. Where ever did you get it?"

Anko squeezed tighter and got her lips right up to his ear. "You know damn well what happened here and when I find out where you live I'm going to make your life hell you hear me you little punk. No. One. Messes. With. The. Dango. Got. It?" she told him in a broken, halting sentence that only she and he could hear but just as she finished she was whipping out another kunai and deflecting behind her.

Naruto blinked as her demeanor changed from threatening to defensive so fast but she had not let go of him. He momentarily cringed as he saw a long red tongue descending over Anko's shoulder with her first thrown kunai in its oddly twisted grasp. The owner of the appendage had an odd hat over her head and a distinctive glare in her eyes as she and Anko stared for a moment.

"_Okay that is totally not normal." _Naruto swallowed carefully.

"I was merely returning your knife." The woman replied in a sultry purr as she lifted her hat with a free hand and kept still so not to trigger Anko further.

"Why thank you Grass Ninja." The two stared for a few seconds more before Anko took on that 'crazy-bitch' persona that Naruto knew to steer clear of until she cooled off and threatened the Grass Ninja slightly. "You know, I only recommend you stand this close behind me if you wish to reach a premature end."

Anko snapped the kunai knife away from the Grass Ninja who backed away slowly, but with both hands raised in submission. The woman retrieved her tongue and lowered her gaze as she backed back up to her team.

"My pardon. With the sight of blood and your kunai slicing through my hair, I'm afraid I just became a little excited. I meant you no harm."

"Likewise." Anko sneered back as finally the woman turned her back to Anko and Naruto and returned to her team. "Seems like everyone here today is quick tempered."

"You're one to talk." Naruto snorted and ducked away from Anko's aimed punch to his head. She glared after him as he returned to Sakura and Sasuke, who noticeably kept a little distance between themselves and him. Ririshii merely growled at Anko but made no move to attack or draw further attention to them.

"Now before we begin this test, I have something to hand out to you all." Anko whipped out a stack of papers from who knew where and waved them a little in front of them. "Don't worry it's just a standard consent form. Before the test all of you are going to have to read this and sign it before you can enter."

"What for?"

Anko grinned sadistically at Naruto after his stupid question and he quickly got the idea but she was going to tell them anyway. "Some of you might not come back from this test and I have to get your consent for that risk. Otherwise it would be my responsibility."

"_Of course, she's in crazy-bitch mode already." _Naruto frowned as Anko motioned for him to take the stack and start handing it out to the others. "_Figures, first we had the crazy-scar guy who likes screwing with people's heads, then we get the crazy-lady who wants to screw with people's heads…." _

As each person took a sheet and began reading Anko unfolded a small piece of paper with a map on it.

"First I'll give you all a description of the terrain on the practice field. The 44th battle training zone has 44 locked entrance gates. There are rivers and a forest inside and in the center is a locked tower located ten kilometers from any of the entrance gates. It is in this confined area that you will undergo the survival test."

As everyone rushed to memorize the small map she was holding up Naruto grinned to himself and smirked down at Riri who wagged his tail. He had been lucky enough to find the same little diagram she had held up in one of the libraries near the tower. _"Good thing I decided to make myself a copy…" _

"The test consists of, anything goes battle, " Anko smiled to herself as she did her big reveal and tucked away the map from prying eyes. She went about digging through her tan-beige trench coat that was covering her way-too-skimpy-outfit and brought out a white scroll and a black scroll in her hands. "To get your hands on one of these."

"Both of them?" someone from the back asked and she smirked in reply.

"Yes both of them. Each of your teams will be fighting to get both a heaven and an earth scroll. All together there are twenty-six teams entering this part of the exam. So that means half of you will be going after a heaven scroll, and the other half will be trying to get the earth scroll. I will hand either one or the other to each team, and that is what you will be vying for."

"Okay then, how do we pass the test then?" Sasuke put forth and Anko again seemed to smile.

"Your entire squad must bring both a heaven and an earth scroll to the tower."

"That means at least half of us will be out, if not more…" Sakura was muttering to herself figuring out what was being implied.

"No one said it would be easy." Anko sneered at her. "Oh and one more thing. The test has a time limit. You must finish it within five days."

"Five days out here?" Ino was the first to react in the way Naruto knew Anko wanted. This was, in its entirety, a survival test.

"What are we supposed to do for food!" Choji was joining his blonde teammate in her panic.

"Just look around! There's plenty of things in the forest to eat."

"No way…" Choji was whimpering and Ino was stepping back.

"That's not all there is in the forest. There are man-eating beasts and poisonous plants in there too." The Leaf Nin who had called himself Kabuto pointed out standing at the head of his own team, all dressed in black. Nearby Naruto heard Neji also figuring out the circumstances of the test.

"With these circumstances there is no way half the teams will pass the test."

"With the days getting longer the nights are getting shorter, so we will have less time to sleep and recover." Lee frowned for a second beside him but looked up to Naruto a flashed one of Gai's grins. "It is a challenge indeed."

"Completely surrounded by enemies," Sasuke muttered to Sakura and Naruto and Naruto glanced at him over his shoulder. "There won't be time to rest. We'll have to keep a constant watch."

"Right." Anko nodded and put her hands up on her hips. "This test also measures endurance behind enemy lines. This is designed to be a grueling test and I'm sure a lot of you won't be up to the challenge."

"Hypothetical question." Shikamaru raised his hand. "Can we quit?"

"Of course not." Anko frowned and shook her head. "In the middle of a battle you can't say 'sorry I quit'. Well maybe you could but it would get you killed."

"Oh just great." Shikamaru frowned and sighed. Naruto was surprised he even showed up, this was way too much work for him from all of his experience with Nara. The written test was not too bad for him but this? This would require him to actually fight people. "This is going to be a drag."

"There are also some ways to get yourself disqualified. The first one is simple. If all members of your squad cannot make it to the tower with both scrolls in five days, you are out. The second," she held up two fingers high so all could see. "If a team loses a member or the team becomes incapacitated. But the most important? None of you, absolutely none of you, may look at the contents of the scrolls until you've reached the tower."

"What happens if it were to come open, and we just happen to read it?" Naruto crossed his arms in front of him and frowned. They were just scrolls? What was keeping them shut?

"Let's put it this way," Anko speared him and growled. "You, don't, want, to, know. Okay that's everything, each team can take their consent forms to over there and exchange them for a scroll. After that pick a gate and your team will be led inside. Oh, and one little bit of advice…just don't die!"

Each team seemed to break away and start conversing quietly amongst themselves over the consent forms. Sasuke stalked over to a large rock and sat himself down and Naruto followed dutifully after their 'leader. The proctors who had been watching with amused faces from the table were now pulling a curtain in front of their table obscuring it from outside view. Sakura was walking near the gates with her own consent form in her hand. Once again she was hesitating but Naruto felt it better to leave her alone.

"So they're making it so we can't see who gets what scroll and who's carrying it." Sasuke muttered as Naruto climbed up to the top of the rock and sat cross-legged. After the test yesterday he seemed to have calmed considerably and was talking to Naruto like a teammate again, not like some obstacle in his way.

"Yeah, guess it's to give us all a fair chance."

Nearby Ino and Sakura blew up at each near the gate. Sasuke and he looked up and watched the spectacle along with everyone else in the area, including Ino's teammates who were backing away slowly.

"Man, what the hell is wrong with girls?" Naruto frowned as the two fought, probably over Sasuke and the fact that Sakura, on Sasuke's team, would be out in a forest with him for five days. "All they do is fight with each other."

"I dunno." Sasuke grunted and began applying his name to the sheet of paper in his hand. "All of them are troublesome."

"Heh, you just don't like that they crowd you so much." Naruto jabbed and Sasuke glared up at him.

"Oh, Sasuke…." Ririshii chuckled nearby, throwing the pitch of his voice up and swishing his tail behind him like a long skirt and pranced a bit on his toes. "Please…Sasuke…Over here Sasuke!!"

"Cut it out!" Sasuke took a little pebble and tossed it at the dog and reached up to push Naruto off his balance. "Anyway, you're one to talk, Hinata nearly faints every time you get near her…"

"Huh? She's just weird." Naruto pouted a bit and took a glance over his shoulder at the quiet girl with Kiba and Shino.

"Yeah right, she only acts that way around you." Sasuke poked him in the forehead and then pointed at his consent form. "So you two sitting this one out or you going to get a move on?"

"Oh yeah," Naruto began scribbling and as an afterthought put Riri's name down as well. "What about Sakura?"

Sasuke merely raised his eyebrow at him and began stalking towards the booth and the line forming near it. Naruto sighed and berated himself. Both of them knew what would happen. Sakura would see Sasuke moving forward and quickly sign hers and join them. Sure enough that's what she did.

As Naruto handed the papers to the proctor when their turn came about each one of them looked to each other when the scroll was handed to them. Wordlessly Sasuke nodded his head at Naruto and began to leave the makeshift tent. Naruto took the scroll hastily and placed it in his bags. Maybe if they got a chance he could hide it further…or would it count as tampering with the scroll?

"_I should so ask her just to piss her off…" _Naruto grinned madly over at Anko who was watching her timepiece on her arm.

"Gate 7." Sasuke muttered to them all and they nodded in agreement. It was lame but it worked, they would leave from that gate and began moving before Anko called the others to head for their gates. All around them teams scattered to find the gate they had selected and the true mystery began for them all.

First was survival, they had to survive the natural pitfalls of the forest and any attacking ninja who found them first. Second was the hunter aspect of it…they had to hunt down and defeat other teams of ninja, which in of itself would be difficult. First they had to be careful not to get in over their heads, and to select a team that had a scroll opposite them so they would not waste energy and run the risk of being injured for nothing.

"So we should go in fast and get our bearings and try to track another team before someone can start tracking us." He glared over at Naruto. "Whatever you did pissed the proctor off and now we're targets."

"Was worth it…" Naruto smugly snickered to himself and scratched at his head. "Anyway, maybe it's better if they come to us, we won't have to waste as much time and energy hunting them down."

Sasuke smirked a bit and nodded. "Not a bad idea actually."

At each gate each team was probably making the same calculations and forming their own plans on how best to complete the 'mission' as it seemed to be. Each team had different goals and objectives but each were mentally preparing for what lied ahead.

And unbeknownst to Naruto at least a handful of teams were aiming themselves towards his team.

"The test might cost us our lives, what a drag," Shikamaru smirked up at the large number twenty-seven in front of him. "But since we have to do it, let's just go after Naruto first."

"What?" Choji stopped checking his bag of goodies long enough to question his leader. "You serious?"

"Oh come on Choji, you gotta be curious right? He's been holding out on us and I think we ought to mess with him a bit don't you?"

"I dunno Shikamaru…" Choji began checking his stash to double check his stores. "It's Naruto…"

"Hey Naruto's just like you; you can steal his stash of food once we beat his team down." Shikamaru chuckled as he watched Choji. The Akimichi boy stopped going through his inventory and began shaking his head in agreement to Shikamaru's plan.

"What are you talking about? Naruto's a loser…why in the world would you…"

"And you can beat down Sakura so you can have Sasuke all to yourself." Shikamaru stopped her and Ino froze thinking about it. Good his team was properly motivated and he could see what Naruto was really capable of.

"Alright let's do this!" Ino cried out pumping her fist in the air just thinking about capturing Sasuke and proving herself better than Sakura. As the gates opened all twenty-six teams did the same thing and rushed forward to quickly find familiar ground and to start searching out their missing scrolls.

The second stage of the Chuunin Exam had officially begun.

* * *

**Author Note x2: **Mwhahahahhahaha god I love Anko… sadistic witch that she is. I wanted to use her so bad because when she first enters the exams in the anime, Sakura happens to think "She reminds me of Naruto." *rubs hands evilly* Oh that was just too good to pass up: favorite Target #2 Anko…. Yes a little shorter than most chapters but I figure the forest of death is its own chapter alone…freaking thing goes on for three episodes if I'm not mistaken. But we got them there and we had fun getting them there! WOOO having a vacation was a good idea!!


	11. A Forest of Death

**The Fox and the Hound**

**Chapter 9: **A Forest of Death

**Chapter Summary: **There are all kinds of obstacles in this thick and guarded forest; some natural and some not. Just what will Team 7 do and can they escape them all?

**Author Note: **I really gotta start paying attention to arcs lol. They seem short when you're reading through them and watching them but WOW…these things are epic. So fun to play though… for starters…we've not had a good Naruto-Ririshii scene in a while. *grin* There's also a question of how much do I want to change it up. Eh…nah that's not a question…we're going full throttle on this one…

P.S. this one has been a hard one to go for, dunno why I mean I had a lot of liberty with it but it Kinda sucks when you really want to get to a part but you don't want to skimp getting there either. (Jiraiya meets Naruto…..god I cannot wait to whip that baby out)

* * *

"_Do this, do that…." _Naruto scowled as he stopped a good couple feet off the ground in one of the many monstrous "trees" this particular training ground was populated with. He was not even sure they were trees from the size of them. They had to be some kind of mutant overgrowth or chakra-fed plant life because the sizes of them were monumental.

Ririshii landed a few branches ahead of him, either on a separate tree or some odd twisted branch from the same tree Naruto himself was perched upon. The shepherd's black muzzle was pointed to the air sniffing intently as a light breeze worked its way through the dense forest canopy. The dog seemed to be in its element out scouting as they were but all Naruto could think was how they ended up scouting.

"_Who died and appointed him leader…" _

"Do you want me to bite him?" Riri sat down, these branches more than accommodating for his size and his tail curled around his feet. For a moment he looked like some kind of regal creature that the forest itself had produced. "Maybe he would stop being a jerk if I did…"

"No then he would be a pissed off jerk." Naruto snorted and took a kunai out and carved a small Leaf symbol in the rough bark below him. He was not entirely sure why he thought to start carving the little symbols each time he and Riri took a look around, but now that he was doing it he was hoping someone would see them and think the Leaf Genin were all working together somehow. Maybe it would put the other teams on edge or make them more wary of approaching any of them.

"Why do you listen to him?" Riri sniffed below him as he lay sprawled out on the tree branch. Night was coming soon and the damp smell of the forest floor debris was coming into play. It had to be tiring to the shepherd to be wary of scents he did not recognize, those he did, and any predators or creatures that would want to make a meal out of them, but he was better at it than the humans were. "Why not just challenge him?"

"Yeah, in the middle of an exam where everyone's out to get everyone I think that's a bad idea." Naruto sighed and finished up his defacing of trees. "Anyway, it's two against one."

"Two against two…"

"Heh, you sure about that Riri? You sure you want to tick Sakura off?" Naruto smirked at the dog who was now hanging from the underside of the branch, sniffing at a fairly sizable caterpillar. "She might not bring you any more of those dumplings you like."

That got Riri's attention in full and the dog's ears perked as his head jerked over to Naruto, eyes disbelieving but head knowing full well Naruto was right. "Damn…"

Naruto began laughing quietly as he too sat down, ready to just hang out and keep watch. He did not want to go too far from where they had designated their meeting spot but he also wanted to get a feel for what might be nearby them. The three of them had decided to split up and start scouting for other teams…well more like Sasuke had decided but Naruto and Sakura had agreed to it.

Sasuke had been sure at first that Naruto had made enough of a target out of them by getting Anko so riled up. They were pretty sure others would be seeking them out and they would be fielding attacks but instead their first night had found them close to the river that ran through the middle diameter of the large circle formation of the grounds.

But no one had approached them so far. No one dared to touch them, or so it seemed. Either all of the other teams had run into problems already and Team 7 was lucky or everyone was doing the opposite after Anko's and Naruto's theatrics. After all who would touch Naruto when Anko had made it pretty clear she wanted him to herself.

"I still say you can stand up to him. It does us no good to be split up and you know it." Riri huffed after he finished inspecting below them, somewhat transfixed by how he could not see the ground any longer, as high up as they were.

Naruto gave a little nod of agreement and reached up to his hidden bag of tricks. He pulled out one of the larger scrolls he had created and unfurled the still-crisp parchment and smiled to himself. The seal was still intact so he still had plenty of food and they still had three days left.

Even better it was the perfect size to wrap around the heaven scroll they possessed and mask it as a harmless piece of paper. Naruto had thought to seal the scroll given to them at first but had talked himself out of it not wishing to be 'tampering' with anything Anko had given them and cause them to be disqualified.

Sure Ririshii had a point but Naruto felt far safer with him than with his teammates at the moment. After the first day and nothing had happened Sasuke had lost what sense he had and suddenly was out to prove himself. Apparently being looked over was a great insult to the Uchiha heir and once more Sasuke was barking orders to Sakura and himself.

Naruto would not mind so much if he was not being so completely stupid about it.

For starters, they were safer together. Safety in numbers was the way to go but Sasuke believed they could find another team faster if they fanned out from one central location. Secondly, if someone happened upon Sakura alone she would be pretty screwed. She was smart and she was fast but faced with someone more suited to taijutsu or someone far stronger than herself she would be toast before Sasuke or Naruto could reach her. Thirdly….

Well there was no thirdly but he hadn't really had the time to think about all the possible 'bad' outcomes of this plan.

"Some came through here…" Riri was muttering his nose down to the bark and running along the length of the branch to its end. "But scents are weird. Two mixed as one…"

Naruto leapt over to the branch Riri was on and glanced down at what was invisible to him, but a beacon to Riri. "Is it possible more than one person came through here? There were a bunch of teams left…Anko seemed ticked by that when she came to scare us all."

"No, odd…" Riri returned to his broken speech whenever he was confused by something. "One person, two scents."

"Okay yeah, that's a little weird." Naruto straightened and took a cursory glance around them. The only thing that met his eye was the occasional bird, bug, or scar on a tree that showed the forest was actually used as a training ground. "Maybe it's to throw off trackers?"

"Possible." Riri stood and his fur bristled as he shook. "Sooner or later we will fight yes?"

"More than likely. Either that or we fail."

"What should I do?"

The question stunned Naruto momentarily and he locked eyes with familiar brown. Naruto was about to ask what he meant but silenced himself and thought about it too. Ririshii was a long way from being like any of the Inuzuka dogs they had seen by spying, but he was large and he had a good set off teeth on him. If he struck at the right place and with enough force he probably could kill someone rather efficiently.

Naruto was not even sure what he was going to do, how could he tell Riri? Granted it could be a situational thing and if the team they were fighting were not that big of a threat they could be soft, but if any of the older teams or that freaky looking Sand Ninja found them?

"_This is a test but I have a feeling that killing is well within the bounds of it. She did say an all out battle and she made us sign those consent forms." _

"Naruto?"

"I dunno Riri; it's kinda a hard question you know?" Naruto sat beside Ririshii and put his arm around the dog's shoulders. "We're ninja and we're on a battlefield of sorts and everyone's the enemy…except…."

"You know some of the enemies."

"Yeah, and they might come after us because they know how we fight. The other teams might be waiting for us to wear each other out to have an easier time of it." Naruto sighed and looked through the canopy to see the fringes of darkness enveloping the sky above. "I don't want to kill anyone but…something tells me we might have to. I mean we'll have to at some point right?"

"Yes." Riri's ears drooped a little. "But here?"

"I hope not, but maybe."

The two left it at that and took back up scouting in earnest, maybe to keep themselves from thinking about the unspoken question of when they were going to be forced to kill someone. It was an impossible thing to think about but in all reality they were ninja now. That was part of the job description.

And Naruto tried his best to keep Kakashi's words in his head. There was a difference between some ninja and how they killed…."_Whether or not you take pleasure in it…."_

Naruto would never take pleasure in it and he doubted Ririshii would either. Still to even think about it was nauseating. But eventually it would happen and he would have to deal with it himself. For now though he merely focused in on Riri's form ahead of him, leaping soundlessly along the unseen path they had through the trees, and kept his own senses alert for anyone or anything that might be around the area.

As another hour dragged on and the only thing Ririshii and he could find were creatures they stopped, looked at one another and heaved great sighs and decided to head back to the meeting spot Sasuke had designated for them.

Something just was not right with them not finding anyone. They should have blundered into someone by this point just because the entrances all along the gate perimeters were not that far apart from one another. They should have found someone or someone should have found them by now. Instead they were by themselves getting antsy.

So along they went quietly, back to the tree with roots above the ground and a small amount of cover for them to sleep under and wait to see what Sasuke's next move was.

"_He's probably already ticked, me and Riri stayed out too long." _

As the approached the area both became tense and rigid. Riri began growling lowly in his throat and his fur stood on end. Naruto also felt the imminent spike in chakra that did not belong to anyone they particularly knew and it was threatening enough that Naruto was ready to stop and try to keep out of sight until he knew who it was and why they were in their meeting spot.

"Near Sakura and Sasuke."

"Shit." Naruto snarled and upped his pace. Sakura and Sasuke probably had met back exactly around the time Sasuke had noted and whoever it was near them now had found them a teammate short. It would be a no brainer for someone to try at them for an easy scroll win except Naruto was the one with scroll.

As soon as his feet hit dirt and Ririshii landed just behind him he knew things had just upped in difficulty. Sakura and Sasuke's eyes darted to them almost immediately and held just a small amount of wariness in them. Naruto blinked at them and then blinked at the pair just shy of their camp to the other side of the two.

It was himself and Ririshii….or what appeared to be him and his dog. Whoever it was had the henge down really well, they had even done the scratch on his cheek that Anko had given him a day prior. For a second he blinked as well at the intruder but quickly shook his head and whipped out a kunai and held it defensively.

"Which one of them is the real one?" Sakura whispered to Sasuke who had begun to look between the two Naruto's as well. He was beginning to activate his Sharingan but Naruto decided to save him some effort by marking himself the real one.

"Sakura, I gave you a plant a week ago. You planted it in your backyard."

Sakura gasped then nodded and inched herself closer to him while Sasuke turned his all-seeing eyes on the fakes. Riri quickly positioned himself in front of Sakura and lowered his head and began to snarl viciously at their targets.

"How cute…" the fake Naruto smirked and the face contorted into an evil sneer as the dog beside him puffed out of existence. "I suppose it was only a matter of time before you discovered my deception with those eyes…"

As the fake spoke his voice changed from Naruto's to a female's and the instant recognition made Naruto bristle. It was the Grass Ninja from a day ago who had returned Anko's kunai to her after she had tossed it. It was the freak with the tongue. The woman let the henge merely melt away and smiled sadistically from underneath her broad straw hat as she fixated upon the three of them.

"Whoever you are, get lost." Sasuke stood straighter and fixated his own gaze on the woman. "You're alone out here and it's three against one."

"Oh? So sure of your victory are you?" the woman's tongue slipped out like an eel from her mouth and it licked over the pursed lips as she grinned. Naruto shuddered involuntarily at the motion. "Such brazen prey usually ends up as supper…"

Her hand went up to her eye, the fingers playing with the lids until she pulled down on her lower lid and revealed the whole of her eye. Naruto's last thought was to think of how gross it was until something went rigid and he froze.

He saw his own blood splattered against the floor of the forest, as a dozen kunai pierced his body. He watched Ririshii's lifeless form landing atop of him, the dog equally wounded by kunai and shuriken. Naruto could do nothing but freeze and hit his knees. It was real…was it happening? What was this? This woman, she was going to brutally kill them just for the joy of it.

Beside him he heard Sakura and Sasuke, one of them was actually being ill from whatever it was that this woman had done to them. Was it an illusion or was it more? Why did he find the act of lifting himself off the ground too horrible to do? What was this?

"Sakura…"

Sasuke's voice caught Naruto's ears but he could not tear his gaze away from the Grass ninja in front of them, nor could he stop the trembling.

The woman smoothly removed three kunai from behind her back and licked each one as she took slow steps towards them. Naruto stiffened and tried diligently to get his feet or hands to move but could not. All he kept seeing was the way this was going to end with each of them getting killed.

"_Move! Why can't I ever seem to do what I need to when I should!" _he began berating himself and could hear the other two as well. Sakura was crying and Sasuke sounded as if he was struggling just as much as Naruto was with the fact that this woman was moving towards them and none of them could act.

As she got within certain range, Ririshii began to snarl louder. It caught Naruto's ear enough and he turned his gaze to the dog, now between himself and Sakura. The snarl turned to a loud growl and then vicious barking but it did not deter the woman in the least. Riri backed away from her, each step she took and Naruto found himself transfixed with the dog.

Ririshii was not affected by the woman's Genjutsu, or whatever this was. He was still able to move. But why?

"Now, now little mongrel, you don't want to end up like your master do you?" The woman chuckled; reaching with her other hand for another kunai, one for Ririshii should he decide to attack.

"Riri…" Naruto finally found himself able to speak but still could not move. Damn it why did Riri just keep standing there, why was he making a stand like this? "Go…get…"

This was the end after only two days? _"Nii-san…please….I …" _

"I expected you to be more of a challenge. How disappointing." The woman was sighing as she raised the kunai above her head. Naruto was not too sure who it was she was talking too but it seemed she was speaking to just one of them, not all of them.

Ririshii made a move and dodged one of the kunai but instead of attacking the woman he bit down on Naruto's forearm. He whimpered as he did so but as soon as the fangs broke skin Naruto yelped but found he was able to move. Nearby Sasuke had taken a kunai to his own leg and had yelled as well. The woman aimed for them but Sasuke grabbed Sakura and Naruto and Ririshii took off before they had a chance to hit their mark.

All of them went tearing in the opposite direction of the odd lone Grass Ninja. After changing their direction a few times and finding a suitable hiding spot, they all came to a standstill. Sasuke let Sakura down, she was still trembling and tears still streamed down her face and Sasuke heaved himself up against the tree trunk, the kunai still in his leg. Ririshii stood above them, ears erect and eyes unmoving from the direction of the woman and Naruto stood between the two panting like a mad man, holding his bleeding arm.

"What the hell was that?" he finally found the words to describe what he was feeling and saw Sakura blink and glance up at him warily. "What did she do to us?"

"I..I don't know." Sasuke ground out as he extracted the kunai from his leg, wincing as he did so. "Where were her teammates? Was it a paralysis jutsu?"

"I don't think so, I think it was Genjutsu." Naruto frowned behind him. "Damn it what is she? It was like you could taste the chakra in the air…she wanted to kill us….why?"

"For the scroll…." Sakura whispered looking at Naruto unwittingly. "Why didn't you just give it…"

"No that's not it; she did not know which one we had." Sasuke frowned and began applying some pressure to the wound he had made to himself. "She just wanted to kill us for fun."

"Ugh…" Naruto fought the nausea fighting to win and looked up to Ririshii, still on alert.

"We've got to get out of here, now." Sasuke was muttering, his Sharingan looking the same direction that Riri was focused in on. "We have got to get away from her."

Sakura frowned and Naruto nodded his agreement but where exactly would they go? Anko said they could not exactly quit this portion of the exam. The forest was big and they just had taken themselves a few miles from the river and any direction Naruto had in the place was now gone. For all they knew the Grass Ninja's team was fanned out in different locations waiting to ambush them as she flushed them out.

She certainly did not need help killing them, now did she?

As they all seemed to ponder this dilemma they were now in the attention Riri had suddenly swapped to behind them, barking almost a little too late and all three found themselves face to face with the largest snake they had ever seen. It hissed only momentarily before opening its wide jaws to reveal sharp fangs that were flying towards the branch they were rested on with great speed. As it embedded in the bark all four of them flew away, cursing their lack of guard.

"_Son of a bitch! She has a summoning contract!" _  
_"No way I didn't even notice it! I'm losing it!" _

Sakura landed a few branches away, Riri nearby, and the snake coiled around the large tree as if it were a twig, going up and up until it was more even with Sasuke, flying backwards and up towards another nearby branch, while Naruto went downwards to a branch just below him. When he landed he looked up, kunai in hand, as the snake went towards Sasuke, mouth open.

Something about the snake's approach unnerved Sasuke to no end and he panicked; something neither Naruto nor Sakura had seen him do before.

"No! Stay away!!!" Sasuke lashed out and threw a handful of small shuriken into the snake's mouth. It worked well enough as the snake bit down and began flailing in pain from the weapons it had just swallowed.

Naruto started moving towards Sasuke's position keeping wary blue eyes on the snake, now oozing blood all over the crook of the tree it landed in. Sasuke knelt panting where he finally landed and Naruto came to rest just above him, each one completely taken in by the snake. Each one of them were bleeding, they were panicked, and had no idea what was going on.

But both were sure that the other was just as equally frightened by what happened next.

Just as the snake lost its color and appeared to be dead the skin began to bulge at the neck and splinter around a center point. Slowly the Grass Ninja from before began to emerge, covered in slime and guts, as she exited her own summon snake.

"I can sense your fear and desperation." She began to purr as she freed herself from the snake's skin. "It's only natural. The prey must never let down its guard, not even for a moment"

"_Okay she's insane." _Naruto took an involuntary step back just as Sasuke seemed to gasp in disbelief. Naruto's eyes traveled to Sakura and Riri, standing together now and watching in the same slow horror as the woman came out of her shell. _"We gotta get out of this but how? What can we do to stop her?"_

Before Naruto could finish his thought the woman began to do exactly like the snake had before, her body becoming a lot like elastic and winding around the base of the tree, coming up at a much faster speed than the snake had and darting out at last towards Sasuke.

Sasuke seemed to freeze, his eyes wide and his feet glued to the branch below him. Naruto snarled and whipped out what kunai he had left and a few of the small shuriken he really was not good at using and halted the witch's advancement by smacking the tips right in front of her. She stopped and glared up at him, snarling slightly as she did.

"My you're a persistent one." She finally spoke and rested herself on her elbow on the tree.

"Damn it." Sasuke finally growled and glanced in Sakura's direction. "Sakura get out of here, go while you can. Naruto and I will hold her off…"

"No way, stay there Sakura." Naruto crouched down watching both the snake and Sasuke. "_What the hell is wrong with him?" _"We're safe as long as we stay together Sakura…."

Sakura seemed conflicted as she stood and grasped her hands in front of her. She looked between them both worriedly and made no move whatsoever. She inwardly probably wanted to do what Sasuke said, but outwardly she obeyed Naruto.

The woman remained watching the three battle amongst themselves, smirking all the while. Sasuke's red eyes remained locked on her as he scowled and tracked each little twitch she made. Finally though the little change to his eyes faded away and he straightened, letting his hair cover his eyes.

"You can have it."

All of them turned to Sasuke when he finally spoke again. The woman smiled and Naruto cursed under his breath.

"It's what you want isn't it?" Sasuke snarled and raised his black eyes up to the woman once again. "You want our Heaven scroll. Naruto give it to her and she can leave."

The woman's attention came his way but only for a second before laughing at Sasuke. Naruto began to growl and clutched his fists at his side. "What the hell is wrong with you? You just want to give it to her?"

"Stay out of it!" Sasuke yelled up at him, his glare intimidating but not enough to force Naruto down. "We can't fight her…"

"Very wise." The woman began to slither up to a standing position just short of Sasuke. "Very sensible. Sometimes the helpless prey, if they are to save their own lives, realize that their only hope is to distract the predator with something even more precious."

"Go on Naruto give it to her." Sasuke frowned, keeping his eyes on the woman but directing his words to his teammate.

Naruto's only movement was to land beside Sasuke, his back to the snake. He was not going to give in just because Sasuke said so. Sure she was tougher than they were, and sure they were way in over their heads but this was not right. She was focused on Sasuke…not their scroll.

"Stop being the hero you idiot!" Sasuke finally snapped, turning fully to his side and berating Naruto, crouched nearby. "Just give her the damn scroll, and leave this to me."

That was the last straw and Naruto rose up and used his right hand to hook Sasuke right in the chin and knock him backwards. He recovered quickly enough and vaulted to a nearby resting place, now fairly seething in Naruto's direction.

"You're being a fool!"

"No way, I know who I am but I'm not so sure who you are." Naruto accused, ignoring the 'predator' as she kept calling herself, near him. "You keep saying I don't know what I'm doing but I don't think you do either. Who's to say she doesn't just kill us after you give her the scroll anyway? We're not buying our way out of this."

Sasuke's eyes went wide and Sakura gasped and reached around Ririshii fearfully.

"Heh. Sad but true." The woman reinserted herself into their crisis and Naruto's eyes darted back her way. She was pushing up her sleeve and biting her thumb in a very familiar fashion to Naruto. She was about to summon again.

She drew a thin line down an intricate tattoo on her left arm, laughing lowly as she did so. Naruto finally had enough and rushed forward, kunai drawn up and hoping to catch her in a moment of weakness. She would have to choose whether to summon or defend herself and another large snake was not going to help matters.

"Naruto no!!!" he heard Sasuke calling after him but he disregarded it. Sasuke had choked. He was all talk as far as Naruto was concerned and anything Sasuke had planned before now was out the window. Naruto himself had to figure out how to get out of this mess and try to stop the madwoman assaulting them.

"_There's still no sign of her team…and she doesn't seem all that interested in our scroll. If she had been she'd be attacking me, but she's only been attacking Sasuke." _

With a speed Naruto had never seen before the woman spoke the words and formed hand seals faster than he could track. Her hand slammed down into the wood below her and the black symbols spread out in a familiar circle.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

A large snake appeared beneath her, the same mottled brown as before, but this time she rode atop the snake as it whipped its head at Naruto, flinging him back into a tree trunk and whacking his head solidly against the bark. He hissed in pain but landed well enough to take in the large snake now perched above him, its tongue lacing out and in with each little hiss it took.

"You'll make a tasty little morsel." The woman placed her hands on her hips and grinned. "Careful though, he likes to play with his food."

The snake's tail came swishing downwards, smacking straight through the branch Naruto had come to rest on. He tried dodging but found the snake's tail arching back upwards too fast for him to get away and again found himself being smacked hard against a solid mass. This time keeping his vision clear was much too hard and for a moment blackness took him.

"Naruto!" both Sakura and Sasuke called out and he heard them as he tried to force his eyes open.

When he finally got them open and forced his vision to clear he found himself hanging precariously over the snake's licking tongue. It playfully was out of reach but constantly was trying to get a taste of him. Above him his coat, the familiar gray he decided was better suited for survival, was bunched under his arms and around his neck snugly.

Above him on the tree branch was Ririshii, upside down and limbs shaking as he kept Naruto from meeting his end as snake food. Naruto winced, his head sharply pounding as he fought to right himself enough to stick himself to the tree instead of Riri holding both of their weights. When his feet finally found solid beneath them Riri let go of his coat and turned snarling fangs towards the Grass Ninja.

"What a faithful hound." She smirked up at the blonde.

Naruto reached up to his bag and pulled out the scroll he really hoped had worked. He scrolled out the paper and put his finger to the larger symbol in the middle and whispered the release and was surprised when the paper released the larger shuriken he had found and he caught it almost without thinking about it.

"_It worked. It actually worked. I can start pulling out the kunai and shuriken. If we can outlast her…" _

"Ah now things have gotten very interesting!" She giggled slightly and raised her one hand in front of her as if she were inviting him to attack. "You know how to use Seals. You are so very full of surprises."

Naruto rushed forward again, swinging back and wide with the shuriken and preparing to heave it at the woman. It was not his best weapon but it was his largest and if he could at least get a solid hit on the snake it would disappear. As he neared her grin only widened and she brought her outstretched hand to her lips and blew…

He froze, unable to process what she had just done. The fire raced forward in a ball form and he felt a tug at his legs where Ririshii was pulling him down and out of the way but throwing them both off balance and towards the forest floor.

"_That was Sasuke's jutsu!" _he thought as they fell. "_But she didn't form any hand seals after the summoning jutsu! How in the world did she do that without hand signs?" _

"Let's see how you do Sasuke." The woman turned her attentions back to original target and again Sasuke froze eyes wide and unseeing. Naruto cursed, landed hard but pushed back up off the tree with all the might and chakra he could spare and put the shuriken over his head and braced himself for the impact.

Time seemed to stop but he finally felt the shuriken meet flesh and felt the jarring as he came to a stop; the weapon now imbedded in the tip of the snake's jaw. It hissed angrily but did not budge. Sasuke stood just in front of him and Naruto felt that bile rise in his gut again. He wanted nothing more than to force it down, to keep it quiet, but its rage was starting to win.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Naruto snarled, panting as he glared up at his 'teammate'. Sasuke balked and was white as a sheet but it did not stop Naruto from going forward. "You're just a scared little coward, you loser! What the hell happened to proving yourself and reinstating your clan huh? You aren't fit to do any of that now."

That last part struck its mark and Sasuke frowned but still did not budge. Naruto did not care at what he had just done. He had to do something to wake Sasuke from this fear of his otherwise they were dead. Sakura was no use right now and he and Ririshii could not take the woman on by themselves.

Before the Uchiha could finally answer Naruto felt something winding around his arms and pulling upwards. He glanced down at them and found the woman's tongue wrapping expertly around him and pulling up.

"Eww gross! Let me go!"

She pulled him closer and he struggled to free himself and pull his arms closer to get a handle on her tongue but found she had bound him from that. Now it was his turn to panic as she drew him closer and closer, a gleam in her eye as she studied him.

"How odd that the demon brat still lives." She began to chuckle and Naruto finally went still. She had said that way too loud for his liking. Not only that but she knew who he was and she was not from their village! "What an interesting childhood you must have had."

He began his struggle again, they were getting too close and he had seen her hand sign this time around. Naruto did not know her plans but he knew it could not be good. Before the length between them was too short a loud snarl broke the air and just as suddenly as she had him in the air Naruto was falling downwards again. The woman let out a blood curdling screech as half of her tongue, still wrapped around his torso came flying loose and Ririshii was biting the other end clear thru.

Her pain was soon turned to rage and she released whatever technique she had been aiming at Naruto onto the dog and Ririshii let out a loud yelp before falling backwards and slipping off the branch, his eyes closed. She seethed as she sent the snake after the falling animal but Naruto was faster and caught Riri and began darting down and out of the snake's sight.

As he went he found the dog unresponsive and limp. But above him Sasuke had finally found his footing again.

Just as Naruto landed he looked up to see a ball of flame again lighting up the darkened forests around them. This time, however, it was Sasuke who was aiming it. His eyes were afire with the odd little patterns and even though the snake woman was nothing more than a blur to Naruto, he somehow knew Sasuke was able to see her movements well enough to counter.

"_It is about damn time you idiot." _Naruto snarled to himself. He carefully laid Ririshii down in a sturdy branch, his legs dangling a little to give him some stabilization and he pet the dog gently just to see if Riri woke up, but the dog did not move. _"Not now, he's still breathing, just gotta deal with it after we deal with her." _

He began moving his way back up, feeling the movement around him of the Grass Ninja and Sasuke as they dodged, parried, and struck at one another. She was fairly throwing her chakra around, how was the question, but Sasuke was doing well to dodge it all.

As Naruto came up behind Sakura, momentarily shocking her, he caught the glimpse of Sasuke vaulting off of a limb and coming down hard on the Grass Ninja, wrapping his arms and legs around her own limbs and pile driving her straight down to another sturdy branch. He flipped away and Naruto moved to get to the other side of the woman just in case the strong strike to the head had not done her in.

She seemed to twitch a moment, and then oddly enough began to almost _melt_ around the branch.

"Substitution!" Sasuke called out a little too late as they both began deflecting weapons of all shapes and sizes. It really was a call back to their mission in Wave and Naruto found himself smirking at the thought of it. Beside him Sasuke began to do the same. Unspoken between them the same thought came.

"_Let's see who catches her first…" _

Sasuke went vaulting off the edge and pulled out wires that he wove around the tree's sturdy structure and began flying around. The barrage came to an end and Naruto began moving in the opposite direction of the dark-haired Uchiha, pulling out another one of his scrolls and pulling out a good handful of kunai, stuck now between fingers and itching to be thrown.

Naruto was too slow though and the woman was at Sasuke just as he came off his wide swing. She threw hard punches and began really beating him down but Naruto saw the slight movement of the hand and waited to see what his teammate was playing.

He hit hard and stayed down, but his tight breathing told Naruto he was faking.

"What a disappointment you are." The woman was snarling as she strolled up to her 'kill'. "Your ancestors weep. They should thank me for killing you."

The little paper bombs went off and Naruto took it as his turn as he began slinging his kunai to throw her off her guard and got her attention towards him. Sasuke came up fast, slinging out more wires and began to get them around the woman, pulling hard as he went downwards. The pull caused the wires to slam the woman harshly against the tree trunk and she winced as she hit.

Sasuke began forming hand signs and came up with the familiar hold for his Dragon Flame Jutsu. The fire licked at the wires and then raced up their paths, all flames headed straight for the Grass Ninja who was completely pinned. The force of the hit caused wood to splinter away and disintegrate into ash and for a moment Naruto was bummed out; Sasuke had gotten her first but he was also impressed. After he had goaded the other boy enough he had finally found his courage again.

Sakura came running down, assured of their victory as Sasuke stood panting a little.

"Sasuke you did it!" she began to congratulate him but sagged a little as Sasuke began to balance himself on his knees. "You okay? It's over right?"

Naruto was coming down as well but he was not as sure as Sakura. The body on the tree did not look that singed or damaged, even though it was unmoving.

"We need to go." Naruto whispered out to his teammates and they both nodded but before they could go the body broke the confines of the trap and began stalking forward. A yellow eye peered at them from the folds of melting skin and with a hand sign they felt like they had when she had first approached, and they could not move.

"Damn it, no way." Naruto snarled forcing himself to stay standing as the woman stayed a good couple feet away from them.

"It's impossible."

"Such mastery of the Sharingan at so young an age."

As she had before, when disguised as Naruto, the woman's voice began to change its pitch and instead of a woman's harsh tone it was a male's light and feminine one replacing.

"_Just what the hell is she/he?" _

"You're a true Uchiha after all." The woman smiled and kept her hands in and odd seal she had first brought up. "Yes, you'll do nicely."

Naruto and Sakura's eyes darted up to Sasuke, the true focus of this freak's attention. What was it and why did it want Sasuke?

"You are definitely his brother." That pissed Sasuke off and he snarled loudly while trying to keep on his feet. "If anything your eyes are even keener than Itachi's."

"Who are you? What do you want!!!"

"My name is Orochimaru." Naruto froze. He had heard that name somewhere else, where had he heard it before? It was a name he should know, he knew that much but it was not coming to him at the moment. "But as to what I want, that will have to wait until we meet again which won't happen until you finished this test with the best score."

He brought back out his Earth scroll and presented it to them before allowing it to burn to a crisp. "First you will have to defeat the Hidden Sound Ninja who serve me.

"We have no idea what you're talking about." Surprisingly it was Sakura who now spoke up and began to get defensive. "But if you're finished why don't you just beat it!"

Orochimaru's hands formed a new seal and as he did his neck began to stretch much like the rest of his body had just moments ago. Naruto was already reaching for something, anything, to inflict himself with but it was too slow and this time the man's neck wrapped around Sasuke and his mouth, now fitted with fangs, dug into Sasuke's neck.

"Sasuke no!"

"You bastard!" Naruto called after the man as he released himself from Sasuke's neck and left three small puncture holes on Sasuke's neck. The holes quickly closed up and formed three little comma-like marks on Sasuke's neck and after all his struggling Sasuke began to hit his knees, clutching at his neck and grinding his teeth in pain.

"What did you do to him!!!" Sakura yelled over at the Grass/Sound Ninja who only watched passively.

"Oh, I've only given him a parting gift. Very soon Sasuke will seek me out and desire my power." The man began to melt into the tree below him and they were powerless to stop him. "In the meantime I have enjoyed the demonstration of the Uchiha Power he already possesses…and the display of the Nine-Tail's container."

They were left with his echoing laughter all around them and slowly the paralysis they suffered began to lift. Almost immediately Sasuke cried out in pain and began clawing at his neck, the marks there were causing him a great deal of pain. Sakura was beside him almost immediately and Naruto found himself standing ahead of them, too afraid to look at either one.

"Sasuke what's he done to you?" Sakura began to plead with him but the dark-haired boy on struggled more and curled into himself even more and finally just collapsed into the girl's lap. "Sasuke? Sasuke! Naruto, what do we do??"

Naruto glanced back at them and heaved a little tiny sigh of relief. Sakura was in too much of a panic to have paid any attention to what the man had called him. He came to kneel next to them both and frowned though. Whatever it was, it had robbed Sasuke of his consciousness and it appeared to be causing him a lot of pain.

"I don't know…." He began to glance around them and saw the starting light. Had it really taken most of the night to face their opponent? "We should find somewhere safe though. Let me get Riri, we'll find some place to hole up until they come to okay?"

"Is…is Ririshii okay?" Sakura was crying now, sniffing slightly as she watched with panicked teal eyes as Naruto stood and started to head off to retrieve his dog.

"I…I don't know." He hunched his shoulders and shuddered a bit. This was dangerous what they were doing, but they had to move forward and now Sasuke was out of commission. "Just stay here okay? I'll be right back."

As he rushed himself towards Riri's spot he began to panic only slightly, away from Sakura's keen eyes. Sasuke was poisoned or something and Riri was unconscious. They were down two members and that snake-bastard had all but told them someone else would soon be after them to test the Uchiha power, as he called it.

"_What do I do? What do I do???" _

_

* * *

_

Naruto nervously flicked the kunai in his hand against the dirt floor of the small cave they had found, not too far away from their original position near the river. He was hoping the sound of the river's running waters would muffle or silence Sasuke's cries of pain and that the water source would be useful to them in either drawing out the poison or diminishing any traces they might have left on their way too this place.

Beside him Sakura had fallen into an almost deep sleep while sitting up and as much as he wanted the company he could not find it in his heart to wake her. Anyway, one of them should take the rest as they could and then maybe he could when she awoke.

But it was a lie. There was no way he could sleep now no matter how tired he was.

In his lap Ririshii's head was rested, the shepherd's muzzle placed carefully across his legs. His hand methodically stroked the smooth coat of fur and he kept praying at any moment the petting would awaken Riri and he would have an extra set of ears to help him keep guard.

Not only was there that but to assure him the shepherd was alright. The animal's breathing was even and steady, unlike Sasuke's until early that morning, but there had been little stirring from the animal as they moved. Naruto's arms still ached from carrying the larger dog from their spot but was not about to abandon his best friend to a forest full of predators and crazy women who turned into snakes and men.

He glanced out to the early morning dawn and squinted against the brightening light outside. He caught sight of the silvery spinnerets of chakra wire and hoped anyone who had tracked them could not see the invisible threads that Sakura had so skillfully began to place and pull around their little stronghold. She may have panicked at first but once they had Sasuke and Ririshii in a safe place she had set herself to the task of setting up traps, mainly to curb her anxiety and to keep herself busy but the effort was not a waste at least.

"_Why is she always so eager to just let us do everything? She knows more than I do about setting traps and I'm the freaking prankster." _Naruto thought idly as he watched the pink-haired girl sleeping.

Sakura had also set out to tending to the wound in Sasuke's leg and eventually the one Riri had left in Naruto's arm.

"_Naruto, you're still bleeding…" _she had reached out kindly and took his arm away from him and held it in her lap as she began unwinding bandages. "_You'll be out too if you keep letting it…." _

Naruto had merely let her do what she wanted and tried to ease her fears but he was not even sure he was easing his own fears just yet. There was too much to take in all at once. First there was the Grass Ninja who turned out to be a man…whose sole interest was Sasuke.

"_Why does he want Sasuke? What is he going to do with him?" _

Then there was the fact that Orochimaru had called him the Demon Brat at least once.

"_Only villagers who were alive at the time of the attack know that. Is he from Konoha? Does he have a spy in Konoha?" _

And then there was the mark he left Sasuke with. The punctures formed a neat little circle above Sasuke's collarbone at the base of his neck and shoulder. Each one looked like a comma and they were dark black and bruised against his pale skin. At first Sasuke had cringed and cried in pain, lashing out at intervals and Naruto was sure others would soon be at their throats, but finally Sasuke had quieted and only kept his eyes tightly shut as he seemed to sleep.

At first Naruto believed it to be a poison of sorts, the woman had a distinctive liking for snakes after all, but he could not find the openings beneath the black marks and there was no drawing blood with Sakura watching him like she was. And if it had been poison Sasuke should be getting worse, instead he merely stayed the same.

Beside him Sakura finally stirred a bit, the sun filtering in through a tiny spigot in the rock's surface. She blinked for a moment then turned her eyes down to Sasuke and removed the now dry cloth from his head and laid her hand there, frowning as she did.

"Still warm…" she muttered before pulling out another cloth and wetting it with her own water container and wringing it tightly before replacing it on Sasuke's brow. She blinked up at Naruto and then her eyes traveled to Ririshii, still out as well. "Anything from Riri?"

"Nope." Naruto huffed and kept his eyes outside to avoid having her see any tiredness.

"Naruto…." She began to play with the hems of her skirt and she also looked outside. "Who do suppose that was? Why did he seem to know Sasuke and his brother?"

"I'm not sure. I'm pretty sure I've heard his name before but I can't remember where." Naruto sighed in defeat. "My guess is he's a missing Nin."

"Then why is he back here?"

"Revenge?" Naruto shrugged and was about to go on but he spotted a squirrel heading their way and right into the traps Sakura had laid on the ground. He flung out his kunai, causing Sakura to jump mildly and clutch at her own weapon's pouch. She let out a long sigh of relief when they both realized it was merely a squirrel but both reacquired the jitters they had finally let loose of in the early morning hours.

"What are we going to do? We can't quit, that crazy proctor said we couldn't, Sasuke needs help but that Orochimaru guy said there might be others coming for us…"

"We just have to be patient." Naruto said to try to calm her and to appear in control and not frightened. He glanced down at Riri's closed eyes. It seemed to him something Kakashi would say and he had no other experience to base this on. "Sasuke's not getting worse so if we have to we can just wait till the 5 days are up and let the proctors find us. Or maybe he'll wake up."

"Do you think so? Do you think they will?"

"I hope so."

The sound of chirping birds filled the silence and Naruto for once found his eyes drifting shut for a few moments. He could not sleep, not yet, but he found he had little choice in the matter. It seemed like only seconds but when he snapped his head back up, the sound of movement outside drawing his attention, he saw a lot more light and he saw Sakura's stiff posture.

"What a good lookout."

Naruto heard the monotone voice and pushed himself up against the wall behind him. They had not seen him and only thought Sakura was there with Sasuke.

"Wake Sasuke up, we want to fight him."

Naruto took a peek out the same hole that was near his head. Three ninja stood just outside of Sakura's trap, wearing gray and black fatigues. Two men and a woman, all three with little music notes on their head protectors. They were ninja from the Hidden Sound.

"What for? I know Orochimaru is calling the shots from the shadows!" Sakura stood up, her hand dangerously close to her kunai pouch. Perhaps she had not noticed Naruto was awake already but she was defiantly trying to bluff her way out of this confrontation.

"You think you can get away talking to us like that?" The one with spiky hair mused and stood at his full height. "That's it, I'm killing her and then I'm killing Sasuke."

"Zaku wait!" the odd male, bandaged all up except one eye and walking bow-legged, stopped the impulsive one and stalked right up to where Naruto's kunai had landed when the squirrel had approached them. So the squirrel was a decoy and they had given away a trap.

"You should try to hide your traps better, little girl." The man mused as he pulled on the odd covering Sakura had created and revealed the pit fall she had made. "Okay, now we kill her."

As they leapt up, Naruto freed himself of Ririshii and crouched low as Sakura grinned and pulled out a kunai to spring her other trap, a log from above, and the Sound Ninja were scattering to avoid it. Naruto came up out of the cave just behind Sakura, giving a light touch to the arm as he readied himself for the next bout.

"Good thing for that power nap huh?" He smiled assuredly and then began to figure out who he should go for first. The odd male was the leader and the other male was the hot-head so maybe he should target the female first but the odd male did not dart away like they had. Instead he extended his arm and the log shattered into tiny toothpicks all around him.

"Ah so I see your other friend is awake, good this won't be so boring after all."

As they neared a voice called out from above and a green blur began spiraling in-between all three Sound Ninja. Sakura gasped a little and Naruto grinned wickedly. Lee landed just a few steps ahead of Sakura, in a typical Gai-pose with a squirrel on his shoulder.

"What's he doing here?" Sakura whispered.

"Lee, I'm gonna owe you big time." Naruto snickered as he pulled back a bit and flanked Lee's right.

"Who are you?" the sound ninja demanded and Lee began to smile.

"I am the handsome devil of the Leaf Village and my name is Rock Lee." Lee proclaimed in all seriousness.

"Really Lee what are you doing here?" Sakura could not believe her eyes that the guy who attacked Sasuke before the first exam was now standing between her and their attackers.

"I will always appear whenever you are in trouble, Sakura." Lee reached up and scratched the little squirrel under its neck, a proud smile appearing on his face as he eyed his opponents.

"_Ohhhh so that's it." _Naruto had to laugh at Lee's posturing but he understood a little better now. "_He's got a thing for Sakura." _

Lee allowed the squirrel to crawl into the palm of his hand and let it down slowly, patting it a little before shooing it off and facing the Sound Ninja.

"But…but we're enemies during this test."

"Sakura, I will only say this once. I will protect you with my life."

Sakura was quiet as the two boys stood off with the Sound. Lee's proclamation probably shocked her a little but this was not the time for laughing and prodding Lee. Lee was going out on a huge limb here, just for himself and Sakura.

"So how do you want to do this Lee?"

"Naruto, please allow me to make up my earlier transgression." Lee played with his bandages around his hands and grinned over to Naruto. "I attacked you and your team unprovoked and I wish to make it right to you. You and Sakura seem quite tired and you are injured."

"Lee these guys are not what you think…" Naruto began to protest but Lee slipped into his fighting stance and shook his head at him forcibly. Naruto ignored it and continued on. "And I'm fine enough to want to knock them around a bit. They hurt my teammates after all."

The odd sound ninja cocked his head at an uncomfortable angle and tossed by a dark black scroll to the one called Zaku. "It looks like I have no choice. Zaku, you take care of Sasuke, I'll deal with these two."

As he rushed forward he pulled on his long sleeves revealing a metal container around one of his forearms. He was coming forward fast for Lee but Lee pulled into the dirt and drew out one of the roots of the large trees all around them, blocking whatever it was the man was trying.

"I am sure there is some kind of trick to your attack, so I won't try dodging it." Lee smiled brightly as the Sound ninja retreated a bit. "Naruto, if you are going to fight, I have a favor to ask of you."

Naruto nodded to the taijutsu specialist and Lee began unwrapping his hands as he almost had with Sasuke back at the Academy grounds. "Sure thing bushy, what's that?"

"I need a moment," was all Lee said as the Sound ninja was on the attack again. Naruto swung in front and kicked outwards and slung another kunai but missed with the weapon and was pushed back before his foot could land. He swiveled on his toes and came swinging back around but the Sound Ninja blocked with his odd arm again and Naruto never made contact.

Lee brought his hand up with two fingers erect in front of his face and closed his eyes for a moment. Naruto put himself on the offensive and kept the Sound Ninja on him while pondering Lee's action. Lee, as he and only a few others knew, worked only in Taijutsu so the sign was confusing. Naruto knew why he only worked in taijutsu was because his chakra coils were warped or something like that, he had not asked after the first time Lee had admitted it. Certainly did not stop him so Naruto never asked again. One did not need jutsu solely to be a ninja and Lee was no exception. Still it left Naruto wondering what he was up to, he could not possibly be trying a jutsu with just one hand.

His question was answered in a split second blink and his target was flying upwards from a good strong uppercut to the jaw. Lee was only seen for a second, as his hand vaulted him up after the Sound Ninja and left Naruto blinking in surprise. Once Lee caught up with the opponent the bandages he had unwrapped cocooned the ninja and Lee grabbed hold.

It was very reminiscent of what Sasuke had done to the Snake-freak from the night before only Lee was moving a lot faster than Sasuke was at the time and there was no way that anyone could survive…

He caught the movement from Zaku too late and saw his final sign and then his palms slamming to the ground. Naruto tried to interrupt him but had reacted too slowly and he dodged backwards as little hills of earth rushed forward to capture the other ninja's head.

"Dosu, that was close." Zaku chuckled as the Sound Ninja landed. "Stop screwing around."

Lee darted away, wide eyes on the two as he again came to stand near Naruto, in front of Sakura. As the odd male dug himself out of the dirt, Lee began to sputter.

"What?! This cannot be!"

"That's a frightening jutsu; it almost took me out even landing on this soft dirt." He stood and quickly turned to face them both. "Now it's my turn."

Dosu came forward quickly but just as Lee dodged something sped through them both and Naruto clamped his mouth shut tight as the world went wavy. Lee seemed to have the same reaction as he stumbled back and tried to steady himself.

"Your jutsu is pretty fast." The man teased as he stood patiently in front of them. "But ours is faster because it travels at the speed of sound. Now relax, we're going to show you something called 'the wall.'"

* * *

"_Troublesome, troublesome, troublesome."_

It had taken them almost three days to finally track down Naruto and his team and when they finally did find them they found them in a battle with some Sound Ninja and Rock Lee was with them. Ino was fretting about Sasuke beside him and Choji was chewing down as fast as his mouth would let him beside her; a sure sign that Choji was also nervous about the situation they suddenly found themselves in.

All he had wanted was to poke at Naruto a bit, to see what it was Naruto could actually do and now he was watching the blonde and the mini-green-beast go down clutching at their ears as the sound ninja manipulated the sound around them, more than likely busting their ear drums and screwing up their inner ear.

"_Which means their balance will be screwed up." _Shikamaru frowned as the Sound Ninja had their fun with the two as Sakura was crouched nearby, keeping guard over a prone Sasuke. Whatever had already happened had to be big because Sasuke did not look good and Shikamaru was pretty sure that was Naruto's dog lying nearby.

As Lee and Naruto hit the ground something triggered Sakura and the kunochi was flinging kunai and coming to a full stand in front of the now incapacitated boys. Her weapons were deflected easily and the Sound seemed to take her as little threat.

"Oh man these guys are scary." Choji whimpered and stuffed another handful of chips into his mouth.

Shikamaru had to agree with him but he could not tear his gaze away.

"Oh man, it's just Sakura against those three guys." He seemed to point out for no one's benefit but his own. He was really trying to gauge Ino's reaction, which seemed minimal. "Well what do you want to do? Ino?"

"Why ask me?" She finally asked but could not tear her eyes away from what was happening to Sakura ahead of them.

"_Sakura wants to fight but she's greatly outnumbered and she's already banged up." _Shikamaru took in the situation again and kept trying to find a good way to end it without anyone else getting hurt. His eye caught Naruto, now struggling to get back up and succeeding. The blonde was unsteady but he was on his feet and he was throwing himself between Sakura and the wiry Sound Ninja with spiky hair. He was thrown to the ground again and Shikamaru found himself wincing.

"Well if we don't do something soon they are toast. Are you cool with that?" he found himself barking at Ino, frustrated at last with her stupid attitude. "You guys were friends once right?"

Ino froze again, transfixed as the Sound Ninja began to really take Sakura through her paces. Finally the female of the Sound trio had the pink-haired girl by her long hair and was pulling on it roughly and knocking her around a bit. The one with the bandages was moving towards Naruto, again trying to get up and stop what was happening and the one with the grin was moving towards Sasuke, who still had not budged.

"_Damn it Ino!" _Shikamaru glared over at his female teammate and waited to see if the girl was going to do something or if he was finally going to have to call the shots here. He had asked if Ino and Sakura had been friends once, despite knowing the answer. They fought like cats now but they had once been close. But Ino was too stubborn.

"Well Ino?"

"Why do you keep asking me for? Do you want me to go out there and get myself killed?"

Shikamaru blinked and then snarled involuntarily. _"Stupid girls…all they think about are themselves." _

Sakura shocked everyone by reaching up with a kunai, supposedly aimed for the woman who had her trapped but instead it sliced away a good chunk of her hair, freeing her from the Sound Kunochi's grip.

Shikamaru watched with growing horror as Sakura tried time and again to break at least one of the Sound Ninja but each move she made, Shikamaru could see their next four, and she was outmatched just in sheer numbers and probability. Not only that but the one with the odd device was closing in on Naruto, still struggling to stand and keep his balance and something about that Shikamaru could not watch.

"Choji, forget her, what do you want to do?"

In all honesty, Shikamaru did not care what Choji would say because he already knew his own answer. Ino and Sakura might have been friends once but they were no longer and Ino was being selfish. But Naruto….Naruto was Shikamaru's friend, the second closest he had behind Choji, and he was not okay with just watching Naruto get slaughtered.

"_Hey Shikamaru…"  
"Yeah? What?"  
Naruto had pinned him before they had left the festival a few years ago and they were alone heading back to their respective homes._  
"_Thanks for letting me tag along."  
_  
It had always bothered Shikamaru how bashful the blonde would get sometimes. It just did not fit with his over-boisterous personality. But he finally figured out that Choji and he were Naruto's only friends. And despite the fact he had prodded his team into finding Naruto, just to test him and see where he really was level wise; now that they were there he could not let this happen. He had to stop this…what kind of friend would he be if he did not?

"We can't let them do that to Naruto." Choji stuffed away his chips and began to move.

"Right." Shikamaru nodded and began to stand, ignoring Ino's grasp as she tried to pull him back down. The one ninja finally had Sakura trapped, but she was still fighting, and something about it finally struck Ino and she followed him up.

Just as the female began to notice them, they darted out and cut them off from their respective targets, Choji bulldozing the one near Naruto and Shikamaru and Ino in front of Sakura, now beaten and bloody.

"Ino." Sakura whispered.

"Surprised?" Ino snorted and tried to keep her reputation and their rivalry intact.

"Choji?" Naruto finally got to a sitting position, though he still looked wobbly and somewhat unbalanced by what the Sound Ninja had been throwing at him. "Shikamaru?"

"Didn't we tell you we had your back Naruto?"

"What's this? The second string?"

"You will regret sticking your nose in where it doesn't belong." Dosu threatened.

"You're messing with our friends here." Shikamaru growled, trying to bluff his way through but knowing it was a lost effort.

"We can't let that happen." Choji joined in which seemed to amuse the Sound Ninja.

"Oh? And what are you going to do about it, Fatty? Sit on us?"

Naruto and Shikamaru both grinned as Choji's face went blank with rage.

"What did you just say?" Choji's eyes narrowed and he began to brace himself. "Did you just say what I think you just said?"

"Oi, I think he just called you fat, Choji." Naruto snickered as he steadied himself with his hands between his knees. He knew how badly that word ticked off Choji and that would help them in this fight if Choji was not a timid eater and more of a pissed of fighter.

"Yeah Choji, I think he did." Ino also added in, a small smile playing on her lips.

Choji's only reaction was to pull in his arms and legs and head. His family was known for jutsus that relied on their size and ability to manipulate their size and this was one of the first ones they were taught.

"Human Boulder Jutsu!"

"You're joking me." Zaku snorted and brought his hands up, the tunnels of air in them aimed straight for the rolling ball that was Choji. "Slicing Sound Wave!"

Choji went airborne and barreled down towards Zaku with increasing speed and force. As the Sound Ninja panicked about his options it appeared his teammate was moving in to help him but it gave Shikamaru a wonderful opening and he went with his family's preferred style of fighting.

"Ninja Art: Shadow Possession Jutsu."

The odd Sound Ninja froze in mid-step as Shikamaru's shadow met his. The good thing about the cover and the trees all around them was it put him in his element and could easily manipulate any shadows near him.

"Ino, why don't you take care of the girl…" he smirked as Ino brought her hands up and zeroed in on the female of the sound group.

After a few seconds she collapsed against him and the Sound Ninja began to question their third member, who merely stood with her head down. It always took Ino a few minutes to get established once she did the Mind Transfer Jutsu but once she did she had a great deal of control.

"_So maybe we can barter their teammate for their leaving." _

That was the plan anyway.

The plan went flying out the door as soon as Zaku aimed his hand at his own teammate and began to try to blow her away. Choji blocked a good deal of the attack but the female still went flying back and it halted Choji's momentum that he had going.

"What kind of monsters attack their own teammates?!"

"I guess monsters like us."

"They're not Genin." Naruto was coming up now, blue eyes fiercely focused on the two males.

"Heheh, very good." The one Shikamaru had trapped began to chuckle. "It's not the scrolls that we're after or even passing this test. We have only one goal in mind."

"Sasuke." Naruto seemed to snarl his teammates name and tightened his grip on his weapon.

"Exactly."

"What the hell is going on here Naruto?" Shikamaru eyed the blonde. Obviously something else was happening here and Naruto and Sakura seemed to understand that the three were not after their scroll. Instead it seemed the Sound Ninja were there solely for their lives.

"We got jumped by …by something last night." Naruto shook his head to clear the last of the dizziness and glanced back at Sakura and Lee a few feet away. "He was after Sasuke."

"What the hell for?"

"How the hell should I know? You're the genius." Naruto snarled back and Shikamaru groaned. With his attentions divided he began to lose his hold on the shadow and it began to recede rapidly from the target. He cursed and watched it as the Sound Ninja tested his mobility once again.

"Oh I see your paralysis jutsu has a very limited duration…"

"Shadow Possession Jutsu." Shikamaru found himself barking back, while supporting Ino against him. "Get your jutsu right."

"Whatever. And I can guess that your friend there can transfer her soul into her opponent…very clever. However, it leaves her open to attack." His hand rose to the female ninja that Ino was still possessing and so did Zaku nearby. They would actually kill her to kill Ino. It was unfathomable to the Leaf Ninja but to someone from another country it was accepted.

"_We just used all our trump cards." _Shikamaru looked for Choji, still recovering from the fast spin he was in and Sakura who was still crouched behind them. Unless Naruto had something he was hiding, and he doubted at this point Naruto did, they were at a loss and there was not anything they could offer the jerks except Sasuke. "Oh man what a drag…."

"Did you really think you could beat us? You all are just hacks…"

"From a second rate village…"

"Huh, that's pretty tough talk."

"_Damn it, where…" _Shikamaru's head snapped up to find another pair of Leaf Ninja above in the trees. A Hyuuga and a girl in pink. "_What now…"_

"I guess that makes your village third rate. I wonder if any of you amateurs are ready to take on the real thing."

"_He can't be serious." _Shikamaru frowned as the Hyuuga made his stand. He'd seen Neji a few times before and knew the Clan in passing and from what his father had told him about them.

"It's Lee's team." Sakura whispered.

"Bout time they showed up." Naruto snorted and glanced over his shoulder at the pair as well. The Hyuuga boy had the same look in his eyes when Naruto had come upon them on the training fields.

"It looks to me like somebody used our teammate as a punching bag." Neji pointed out to Lee, still unconscious on the ground. "No one does that and gets away with it."

Just as he made his proclamation the veins around his eyes began to protrude and he began assessing each of them on the field.

"No more playing around TenTen…."

"Right."

But neither of them moved and Neji seemed to back down all of the sudden.

"Well are you going to stay up there all day?" Dosu called up, trying to provoke the other Leaf Genin. He was underestimating the older team and taking them as they had Naruto and Shikamaru's teams.

"_This is bad, the more noise we make the more attention we're going to draw." _Shikamaru took in the field but stopped when his gaze got behind him. Sasuke was standing at the mouth of the cave and he looked absolutely pissed. _"Shit! What are those!!!" _

There were black markings all over the Uchiha boy's skin as he stood propped against a solid wall of rock and his eyes were blood red with black markings as well. Shikamaru froze momentarily in fear. The amount of chakra Sasuke was putting off was unreal, it was not even human. The way his eyes bore into everyone in front of him made his hair stand on end.

"Sasuke…"

"Shit…" Naruto muttered nearby and began backing up. "What'd he do to him?"

"It appears it's been taken out of my hands." Neji smirked from his vantage point and TenTen dropped her weapon down as well.

As he walked out of the cave, his steps somewhat slow and halting, he kept his eyes glued ahead. Finally he came to a stop just beside Sakura, who was trembling and holding back tears as he approached.

"Sakura, who did this to you?" When she did not answer him he began to lower his head and fixate even more on the girl beside him. "Who was it?"

"Sasuke…what's happened to you?"

Naruto was almost right up against Shikamaru's other side, his kunai still drawn only pointed more towards his own teammate than their common enemy.

"Tell Ino to get out." Naruto finally sputtered and looked over at Shikamaru who blinked in return. He knew Naruto had heard what the Sound Ninja surmised about Ino's jutsu but he did not believe the blonde to understand it as much as he did. "Sasuke won't notice it's her in there. Tell her to get out now."

"Ino, do it." Shikamaru whispered in her ear then returned to watching Sasuke.

He was staring at his arm, covered in the odd black markings and still emitting the foulest killing intent Shikamaru had ever come across. He seemed almost fascinated with himself and the same black markings marring his skin.

"What the hell is going on Uzumaki?"

"I don't know but I don't' like it."

"Don't worry, I'm alright." Sasuke finally responded to Sakura's question and let his hand fall. "In fact I've never felt better. He gave me this gift and he made me remember what I am. I'm an avenger. To follow that path I must have power, at any cost, even if it consumes me."

"Damn it, Emo just went psycho on us." Shikamaru frowned over at Naruto, somewhat stunned into silence beside him.

"Sakura, tell me, who did this to you?"

"That'd be me." Zaku finally smirked and put himself ahead of the pack of Sound Ninja. At the admittance Sasuke's full attention rested on him.

"Ino get back in your body!" Shikamaru finally yelled at the girl who was in just as much shock as Sakura over the transformation Sasuke had gone through. "You do not want to get involved in this! Naruto, come on, we gotta get outta here."

"I…I can't."

"Idiot, he's clearly lost it!"

"I can't leave Sakura."

"Your funeral." Shikamaru scuffed and hefted Ino up on his shoulders and took a wild dive for the safety of the trees. Choji was soon after him but they did not go too far. They turned and watched from a safer distance as Sasuke began to focus on the Sound Ninja who admitted to beating up the girl.

"_That one's clearly too stupid to realize something's wrong with him." _Shikamaru thought sourly as Zaku brought up his hands in front of him and formed the proper seals.

"Dosu, what's wrong you got cold feet all the sudden?" Zaku seemed proud of himself for what he was about to do. "Watch this, I'll take care of them all in one fell swoop."

"No Zaku! You don't understand!"

"Super Sonic Slicing Wave!"

The wind created from the large blast reached even their hiding spot and Shikamaru threw up his arms to shield himself. This was insane, Choji, Ino and he should be turning tail and heading in the complete opposite direction and yet there they were. The only Leaf Genin missing from this expedition was Kiba's team and even if they were nearby he would never expect the Inuzuka to help them, not after their falling out and seeing Naruto's dog.

"What do you know, blew them all away."

"Not quite."

Shikamaru quickly came back up to watch after the wind had died down. Naruto had gone back to the cave like an idiot, probably for his dog, but Sasuke and Sakura were now beside Zaku and Sasuke backhanded him so hard he went flying into a tree. Sasuke had moved fast enough to get both himself and Sakura out of the blast wave.

Sasuke barely let the Sound Nin land before flying through hand seals.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu."

"Sasuke…" Ino was whimpering as she too watched, just as terrified as Sakura and the rest of them were at Sasuke's behavior.

"_This is all wrong. He was out cold when we got here and he looked ill. What's going on here?" _From the cave Naruto began to come back out, looking a little nicked and bruised from flying debris but still standing, and beside him Ririshii came to stand unsteadily beside his master. "_Naruto knows something's wrong but he's too stupid to stop it…"_

Zaku tried to put out the four flames flying at him with his wind tunnels and the flames died away but revealed shuriken in their shadow. The Sound Ninja threw up his arms to defend himself from the barrage but lost sight of the Uchiha.

Sasuke had the wind-user's arms behind his back in a quick couple of moves and his foot digging into the man's back. As he began to apply pressure the Uchiha heir began to smirk oddly, as if he was pleased with his work.

"You seem to be very proud of these arms of yours. You must be very attached to them."

"No what are you doing?!"

"_No way!" _Shikamaru gaped at the scene unfolding. Sasuke kept applying more and more pressure until the man began to scream in agony and even as far away as they were he could hear the audible popping as the joints became dislocated.

Sasuke let loose and Zaku went falling forward, unconscious from the pain and dislocation of his shoulders. Shikamaru had almost thought Sasuke was going to rip the limbs right off, the way he had been grinning like a mad man.

He was now stalking towards the other one, Dosu, who seemed to freeze up at the prospect of finally fighting their intended target.

"Sasuke, please!" Sakura was calling after him, trying desperately to stop the other boy's rampage but it was in vain, he merely ignored her and kept on his intended path.

He only stopped when Naruto appeared between Sasuke and the Sound Ninja.

"Get out of my way!" Sasuke barked at Naruto and all of them winced at the amount of loathing that was betrayed behind the tone. "You idiot, do you see what they did to her?"

"That's enough!" Naruto seemed to bark back as well and something he did to himself made him seem just as threatening as Sasuke did. "He's not even attacking anymore; he's not a threat to you."

"They wanted to kill us, you idiot. It's only fair to pay them back."

"No, not like this!" Naruto reached out and shoved Sasuke back physically and everyone went still, certain Naruto was going to be the next one Sasuke hurt. "You're enjoying this too much!"

"_You idiot! He's going to kill you!!!" _Shikamaru thought and began to draw his chakra in to his shadow to prepare it to snake out and trap Sasuke if he had to.

"Why shouldn't I?"

"We're better than that. We're better than them." Naruto growled and stood his ground unwavering.

Things were tense and still as the two faced off against one another. Naruto looked ready to smack sense into Sasuke but finally something clicked and the black marks began retracting until they went up under his shirt. Sasuke hit the ground panting and Sakura rushed up behind him, worried but still a little wary.

"You're strong, Sasuke." Dosu began rooting around in his shirt and finally produced a small black scroll. He held it up in his hand in front of his face to the three and cocked his head slightly at them. "Too strong. We cannot hope to defeat you the way you are now. We'll strike a deal." Slowly he knelt down and put the scroll dead center in behind Naruto. "I give you this scroll and you let us go."

Dosu retreated slowly at first and picked up his lifeless teammates. After one last look he darted away, leaving the congregation of Leaf Ninja to watch after him but then alone with their thoughts at what had just happened.

Ino finally lost her fear and she rushed forward to kneel to Sasuke's other side, instantly barraging the other boy with questions as Sakura blinked up at Naruto.

"Oh man, that was too scary." Choji whimpered and Shikamaru let out a long drawn out sigh.

"_Troublesome…" _

Lee's team came down and began to check on their own teammate, shaking the green-clad boy till he finally awoke and bashfully apologized to the girl in pink. Ririshii came limping towards Naruto, his head down and his path wide of the girls and Sasuke.

Shikamaru returned to Naruto's side and crossed his arms in front of him. Naruto's hand was instantly in Riri's fur and clutching to the dog as he trembled a little watching.

"What the hell was that Uzumaki?" Shikamaru growled lowly, keeping his voice low enough that Sasuke or the others could not hear them.

"I don't know. The one that ambushed us last night, he did something to him, I thought it was poison but I don't know now."

"You guys were ambushed by one lone attacker?"

"She…I mean he was tough. " Blue eyes darted towards him and Shikamaru saw something click behind the depths. "The only reason we're still standing is because he wants Sasuke, I don't know what for."

"What a drag, what kind of shit did you get us pulled into?"

"I didn't ask you to stick your neck out Nara."

"No, but I wasn't about to let you become worm food, you idiot."

"Neat trick with your Shadow…." Naruto tried deflecting the dialogue but failed. "Listen, just…just keep quiet okay."

"Keep quiet? Are you insane?" Shikamaru lost his cool and snagged Naruto by his coat sleeve. "Did you not see what he just did? If you hadn't put yourself in the way we'd be surrounded by bodies. He's clearly lost it!"

"I know, okay I saw it. Just…Just give it time, maybe that mark did it. Maybe he's got it under control now."

"Naruto, he's crazy…and so are you." Shikamaru huffed and threw his hands behind his neck. "Ino! Choji! Let's get out of here."

"What?" Ino began to protest but then saw the look on Shikamaru's face and nodded. Choji obeyed as he always did and Shikamaru took one last look at Naruto.

"For your sake, I hope he doesn't kill you in your sleep."

"Yeah thanks Nara." Naruto smirked a little beneath all the bruising and scrapes. "You guys better be at the tower…"

"Yeah, yeah, we'll be there." Shikamaru waved and headed off towards the river and onwards. He frowned the farther away they got from the scene of chaos and wondered just why in the hell he had done what he did and why he was leaving Naruto alone with a clearly whacked out teammate.

"_You better be okay you dolt…"_

_

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_

**Author Note x2: **HA! Take that you evil evil arc. Finally the end of the arc; at least this tiny little leg of it. There is the elimination rounds and all that jazz left to go. This thing was epic and I did a lot more tinkering in terms of what happened and of course the missing 'Kyuubi' incident this section of the exam had. Why I'm still not sure but I wanted Naruto as the more level headed one this time around and in all honestly I think he'd be hyper sensitive to if it were happening and try to tamp it down. Secondly the five-pronged on Ririshii… yeah the five-pronged seal and the whole 'sexy jutsu' thing was a few of the factors that got Jiraiya to teach Naruto. Trust me…It's still in play but….eh now you know why I'm excited to get to Jiraiya meets Naruto.

Oh…and a little side note to you all :D There will be a Missing Moments posted a day or two after F_H hits 100 reviews. I don't want to seem like a review hog, no quite the contrary, it's just in my many years of lurking around this site, playing in several fandoms and the like, no story has ever broken 100 reviews. Last night I realized F_H had 91 reviews….and I want the missing moment to be like a celebration of that milestone! So here's a hint for the chibi naru fans. Snowball Fight. That's all I'm saying…but trust me it just oooooozzzzess cute and maybe has a little history in it as well. *Evil grin*

HA! Try that on for size Naruto-verse!!


	12. Missing Moment: Age 6

**The Fox and the Hound**

**Missing Moments: **Age 6

**Author Notes: **As promised! Thank you all for your wonderful reviews…they have truly inspired me to write again and to write more. While I was in college I was always so busy with papers and projects and I had to give up this particular hobby that I so enjoy. Now that school is finished I find myself writing again and I found a great new fandom and I am so glad I'm not completely screwing it up :D So here is missing moment #2.

Before it goes on, I did want to explain myself just a little bit. I know we have never seen snow in Konoha and it doesn't look like a place that it happens often. BUT we have seen on a few occasions where the Leaf Nin are wearing those long, covering ponchos, which kinda gives the impression that it is cold enough to need some kind of coverings. I kind of see it like one of those states where it gets kind of cold and snow is this very rare occurrence that just stops everyone for a little bit. It doesn't happen often but its fun when it does…..

Well that and I'm more than expecting the 'snowy weather' to start in Ohio soon…might as well brace myself for it really (I really need to live in a desert….or have more than one cat. Or maybe just cozy up with the fluff bunnies! )

Oh…another warning. The cute…it may just overdose us all.

P.P.S. Congrats XLNC for being review number 100 ;) followed closely by JapaneseAnimeFreak16. Thanks for making it possible for me to post this today cause I've been holding onto it a bit ;)

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Naruto was having a hard time figuring out the scene below him. He was perched precariously on the windowsill in the living room watching with bated breath as more and more white stuff fell from the sky. He would watch the gray skies above for a while, spilling out what appeared to be confetti and then would gaze downward to the roofs and streets and see how all the little pieces of fluff were piling up around town.

It had been doing this for days! Was it going to stop? It was not rain; he knew that much even if the clouds above looked like regular old rain clouds.

Naruto shuddered a bit, the cold seeping through the glass pane holding him inside. It was another confusing thing; it was actually COLD out there. Sure he knew there were seasons, it was why the leaves turned color around his birthday and everyone started wearing longer sleeves, but it never really got cold-cold like it was now.

It started out like a thunderstorm, dark clouds came rolling in a few days ago, but instead of roaring and lighting up the sky this odd stuff started to fall and it sent Naruto flying home. He vaguely remembered seeing others in the streets but they were all just standing around staring upwards, some of them even laughing and smiling as they were hit with the odd little flakes that dissolved after a few moments. By the time he got home he was wet, despite there being no rain and he had shed the wet clothing and gone about watching out the windows.

Unlike the rainstorms it did not stop either. He fell asleep on the couch and woke later the next afternoon and the white stuff was still falling from the sky. So he sat there, watching, waiting for the stuff to stop falling but it just kept going and it kept piling up in the streets and around the windows.

"_What if it comes in? Kakashi won't like the apartment being all wet….and white…" _Naruto frowned as he pushed away from the window slightly and let out a long sigh. As he did a cloud formed on the window just where he breathed on it and he cocked his head to the side. "Whoa…"

He reached out to touch the spot, fixated by the odd cloudy spot on the window, and found he left his fingerprint in the middle. As a test he took his whole hand and wiped it straight through the middle and the window was clear again where his hand had been. He quickly cleaned the window but then began to think about it more… breathed on the window again….and then drew the little symbols that Pakkun had on his coat which also made a weird face.

"Neat…" he smiled to himself. He moved over a little and made another spot and then made another face.

This occupied him for a while until the window stopped reacting to him breathing on it. He grinned at his army of faces and set off to find something to eat. Kakashi was sent on a mission by the Hokage just the other day and he was all by himself once more but he was not afraid.

Naruto was older now, and he told Kakashi so and told him he did not have to leave Pakkun. He was brave enough to stay by himself here, this was his home too. And it was! But after a few days he found it was not fear that was bugging him…he was just lonely.

Today was no different despite his legion of faces on the windows. He distracted himself long enough to do some homework, and reading, and cleaning….but eventually he found himself back at the windows, watching the odd weather and the odd behavior of those outside in it.

People seemed to enjoy the odd rain that was not rain and he could see kids running through the white stuff while people swept off their doorsteps and roofs. How weird that they would be doing that. If it were a steady rain they would all be inside watching from their windows as well.

"What's so interesting?"

Naruto jumped at the unexpected question. Above him Kakashi leaned over to take a peek out the window and seemed generally interested in what it was that had gotten Naruto's rapt attention. "Nii-san what are you doing home already?"

Kakashi blinked at him for a second then shrugged. "What all my missions have to be long ones?"

"No…it's just that usually they are."

"What are you looking at out there?"

"I dunno." Naruto returned to his watch and saw the weather had started to slow a little and the sun was starting to peek through a few breaks in the clouds. "Guess it's finally stopping…."

Kakashi seemed to straighten behind him, an odd smirk in his eye as he glanced out the window as well. "You've never seen snow before."

"Huh?" Naruto turned his attention fully on Kakashi who was turning to take his bag and an odd weapon off the kitchen counter and headed for his room. "What's that?"

"It's been a long time since it's actually stuck like this." Kakashi seemed to be talking to himself but Naruto followed along dutifully hoping Kakashi would explain the cold weather and the odd rain. "No surprise really… Go get your coat…"

"Huh? Why?"

"Trust me okay." Kakashi chuckled and pushed him in the direction of his own room. Naruto rushed and found his jacket and put it on quickly. He about ran into Kakashi as he came back down the hallway.

Kakashi then did something he normally did not do a lot. He picked up Naruto effortlessly and began heading out the door again. Naruto scrunched up his face a bit, confused by Kakashi's sudden appearance and good mood. His brother was up to something, Naruto could tell, and he was not too sure he was going to like it.

He shuddered a little when they got outside. The sun was starting to peek out a little more and it seemed awfully bright after a few days of gray and dark. Naruto squinted as Kakashi headed down the street with no particular destination.

"It's weird rain Nii-san." Naruto whispered into Kakashi's ear and frowned when Kakashi laughed and came to a stop at one of the little parks scattered around the village. "What's so funny…"

Without warning he felt like he was falling and he scrambled to land right. As he came to the ground he felt the sharp shock of cold as he landed rather unceremoniously in one of the piles of white stuff he had been watching from the window. He came up fast, some of it stuck to his coat and his pants and he rushed forward to snag onto Kakashi without thinking about it.

"It's snow Naruto." Kakashi was chuckling. "It happens when it's too cold for it to rain. It's alright."

"What'd you drop me for?!" Naruto accused slightly and found Kakashi still smirking behind that silly mask of his. His brother was finding this all too funny.

"Didn't hurt did it?" Kakashi crossed his arms in front of him, still smirking and still enjoying himself a little bit. He pointed out with a finger and Naruto begrudgingly followed it to what Kakashi wanted him to see and he stopped when he saw other kids a little bit away from them. The boys were running around, throwing handfuls of the stuff at each other and laughing. Some girls were on the other side of the fences rolling up large balls of the stuff and laying in the white stuff covering the ground.

Naruto blinked back up at Kakashi, still not sure what it was Kakashi wanted him to get out of this. He had already seen people acting weird about it but what did that have to do with him. Kakashi knelt down suddenly patting the boy on the head for a moment before smiling and closing his eye.

"It only happens once every few years and it usually doesn't stick to the ground this well. It's usually too warm here. It's supposed to be fun…"

And just as suddenly as Kakashi had dropped him he felt a cold spot atop his head and found Kakashi had reached down and grabbed some of the snow and dropped it on his head. Naruto jumped a little bit but recovered enough and reached down himself, ignoring the cold snap in his fingers and got some of it between his fingers and tossed it at the silver-haired man who was only marginally trying to get out of the way of his attack.

Again his hands reached down to grab up the white fluffy rain and went to take aim. In a blink Kakashi was behind him, reaching down just beside him.

"It won't go far unless you pack it in a bit first." The man pointed out, Naruto watching as Kakashi formed his own ball and then tossed it lightly in his direction. Naruto ducked, squeezed his hand around the snow and then tossed it at Kakashi who also ducked but the snowball hit just the tip of his hair and dumped some of itself on his head.

Naruto really smiled then and took to rushing off in the other direction for a tree or a bush. He had to get ahead of Kakashi, make a stockpile, and then ambush the older man. It was the only way to win! He found himself laughing happily as he found the perfect spot and began rolling up little wads of snow and waited patiently for Kakashi to come find him.

A rain of snow came from above him; in his little hiding spot and he darted to the other side of the tree, just as a ball came flying at him. Kakashi had found him faster and had gone above. Naruto tossed one of his missiles up and smirked as it hit just beneath Kakashi's feet. The masked ninja moved but Naruto found he was able for the first time to keep track of Kakashi because of the trail of snow falling from the tree branches. He took aim in front and scored a hit to Kakashi's side, but went lax in his attention and also got hit in the shoulder as Kakashi retaliated.

"_Nii-san was right! This is fun!" _Naruto laughed as he tried to find another hiding spot, one with more cover for him to watch from but also shield him from incoming hits. He jumped into a bunch of bushes and smiled from the safety and waited patiently.

Instead of Kakashi he noticed he was near the edge of the park. People were walking to and fro, mostly civilians but one person stuck out in particular to him. Asuma…

Naruto blinked at his hand and the snow impacted tightly in his little hands. With a second thought he aimed carefully for the cigarette perpetually stuck out of the man's mouth and threw hard before ducking again and hoping the bush was thick enough to keep him hidden from Asuma's view.

The snowball went whizzing past the man's face, taking out the cigarette as intended and Asuma stopped abruptly and blinked in front of him. His quickly turned towards the park, watched for a moment then seemed to growl and take out another cigarette.

"Damn kids." Asuma began walking again while lightning the new cigarette and Naruto beamed at himself. "Damn snow."

"That was good." Kakashi laughed above him, startling Naruto somewhat but he smiled proudly at Kakashi's approval. "He didn't even notice you there. You're getting good at concealing yourself."

"Thanks!" Naruto replied and closed his eyes briefly as he smiled. His small unguarded moment rewarded him with a face full of snow and he sputtered as he hurried to clear the cold snow from his face. "Grr! I'm gonna get you for that!"

"Gotta catch me first."

* * *

Kakashi happily walked through the crowded streets of Konoha, an exhausted blonde draped across his back and his small arms draped over his shoulders. He ignored the glances and whispers as he went, choosing to pretend he was not currently covered in snow and the kid on his back was equally as covered in the white fluff.

When he had gotten back from Suna, his mission merely a delivery to their Kage to Suna's Kage, he had been surprised to find the temperature had dropped drastically in Fire Country and as he neared Konoha's borders it was snowing significantly. It was almost welcome from the blistering winds of the desert land of Wind.

As he came into his apartment he found his resident perched on the windows watching with great interest. Kakashi had checked around, took off his mask and began unlocking gear and not once did Naruto notice him or turn his attention away from the window.

Of course he knew why and he had momentarily laughed about the whole novelty of 'snow' at that age. By the time he was six he had participated in the Chuunin exams and had passed with flying colors. He understood trivial things like weather and seasons. He was a Ninja that was all that mattered to him then.

Still Naruto seemed so concerned with this change and rather than just leave him to worry about the odd weather pattern, Kakashi decided to enjoy this little phenomenon, if only for today. The last time Kakashi had seen snow like this had been ten years ago…

"_Isn't it beautiful?" _

_Rin was standing out in the middle of their usual meeting place, her eyes looking out over the training field that was normally lush and green, instead it was covered in glittering white. Her feet kicked at the accumulated snow around her feet and she smiled. _

_Kakashi was sure she had lost it, it was only snow. It was cold and it was wet and for the hundredth time that week Obito was late. Of course so was their Sensei, so he was not entirely sure who he was angrier at, the Uchiha who lacked any discipline or their Sensei who had better things to do. _

"_Oi, sorry!" Obito finally came rushing up, panting and sending small puffs of air out as little smoke puffs in the colder air. "I..I saw this old lady struggling to get outta her door…"_

"_Save it." Kakashi had snorted and tuned out the Uchiha's excuse almost immediately. _

"_You're a bastard you know it? She was snowed in Kakashi. I was doing a good deed…you should try it sometime." Obito got up in his face, pointing his finger accusingly. _

"_That was nice of you Obito, but why did it take so long?" Rin had turned and cocked her head at the other boy of her squad. "You should have been quicker than this…"_

"_Not you too Rin." Obito deflated and hung his head. He leaned up against one of the posts in the middle of the field and huffed. "Dunno what we're meeting for anyway, we're going to be shoveling sidewalks anyway." _

"_Maybe, but I doubt it." Rin sighed, sending her own puff of breath out into the open. "Sensei's late." _

"_Huh…that's a first. Maybe he's snowed in too. We'll have to go rescue him!" _

_Rin laughed as Obito threw up his hand and proclaimed their mission for the day, Kakashi only groaned and shook his head. The idea that 'snow' of any kind had halted their Sensei…the YELLOW FLASH…was absurd. Not to mention his Sensei now lived in an apartment a few floors from the ground level…_

_He was about to point out the ridiculous nature of Obito's theory but just as he came forward something smacked him solidly in the back of his head. He froze, the distinct feeling of snow embedding itself in his hair setting him on defensive, and glared in Obito's direction and snarled. _

"_Seriously, I'm in front of you." Obito was swinging his arms back and forth in front of him denying responsibility. _

"_Sensei?" Rin was questioning and all three turned around. There stood Konoha's Yellow Flash, grinning like a mad man, tossing another snowball up and down in his right hand. "What are you…" _

_She 'meeped' and hit the ground, as the ball in his hand came flying in her direction. Another smacked Kakashi in the side of his shoulder and Obito began laughing hysterically. _

"_Oh man, way to go Sensei! That was awesome!" Before he could finish he found himself being pelted and he began to throw his arms up around his head to protect himself. "Aw hey! I'm on your side!!! Cut it out!!!" _

"_Good reaction time Rin." Minato was chuckling as he walked towards them, still smirking and holding one of his hands behind his back. "You two, however."_

"_You're insane!" Obito accused and glared at Minato right alongside Kakashi. He slowly was kneeling down and reaching in front of him, but before he could snatch up any snow the hand from behind Minato's back became visible and a handful of snow was being shoved down the boy's shirt as Minato got behind him and yanked him up by the collar. "COLD! Oh that's it! I'm gonna get you for that one!!!" _

_Minato happily skirted away from Obito's outreached hands and shoved Kakashi forward, unbalancing the Hatake genius and sending him into the cold snow . "You gotta catch me first!" _

_And in a blink their Sensei was gone, not even a trail left in the white snow beneath them all. For a second all they could do was blink in astonished surprise. Obito was the quickest to recover and began rolling up snow and piling all the balls in his cupped arms, snarling as he went. _

"_Oh it's on! No one gets away with that!!! I'm gonna bury him!" _

_Rin was picking herself up from the ground, brushing away the stray snow from her skirt and watching Obito. "What do you suppose that was about? I mean that's so weird…" _

_Kakashi was also rubbing furiously at his head, trying to dry the now damp spikes. "This is so stupid, I'm going home." _

"_What! NO!" Obito shot up and blocked his path. "Come on, we gotta get revenge Kakashi!" _

"_You mean you have to get revenge. Sensei's in one of his 'moods'." Kakashi grumbled and began to stalk away but Obito stopped him again. _

"_I need your help Kakashi." Obito deadpanned and gave Kakashi an imploring look. "Think about it, man. He just mocked you! I bet he's sure you're gonna go home like a loser! Anyway if it's one of his 'moods' as you call it, he's just gonna find you anyway…" _

_Kakashi found himself frowning but also slightly interested in Obito's idea. He had an excellent point in the fact that Minato would make it his mission to not even let Kakashi get home. This was another one of his stupid 'teamwork' exercises, he was sure of it. "This is so stupid…" _

"_HA! Good man!" Obito grinned in victory and smiled over at Rin. "You in Rin?" _

"_You bet!" _

_Several hours later they all three sat in Minato's apartment, soaked to the skin, and glaring daggers at their Sensei, happily reenacting the whole 'battle' for his girlfriend Kushina. Kushina was laughing so hard she barely managed to get the towels handed out to the three while Minato over played each of his 'brilliant' moves and explained just how all three of his 'kids' had gotten so wet. _

"_I swear, you three just don't learn do you?" Kushina put her hands on her hips as she watched the three try to get dry in vain. "And you're just a big kid, you dope." She reached up and pulled playfully on Minato's spiky hair. "Have fun with your sick kids in a few days." _

"_Oh they're not gonna get sick…" Minato chuckled as he sat himself on his couch and smiled after Kushina who was moving towards the kitchen. "Hey, they're not!" he protested when she merely raised an eyebrow at him. "I decided against dunking them in the river didn't I?" _

"_Ugh, I'm going home." Obito stood roughly and glared at his Sensei. "You're a jerk, you know." _

"_Heh, love you too Obito-kun." Minato slugged him in the shoulder as he passed by him, stalking for the Namikaze's door. "Hey, if you had just reacted instead of thinking you would have gotten me a few times!" _

_That stopped Obito and he glared over his shoulder at Kakashi for a moment before huffing indignantly and then stormed out of the home. Minato only laughed smiled to himself proudly. _

_Rin was the next to stand, running the towel over her head a few more times, successfully making her hair stick out at odd angles. She smiled, however, at Minato and then awkwardly hugged the older man around his neck and received a pat on the head from their Sensei. "It was fun Sensei, thank you…" _

_She left in a rush, embarrassed but cold as well and finally it was only Kakashi and Minato left behind in the living room. Kakashi absolutely refused to turn around and look at his Sensei. He knew it was futile, Minato just did not leave well enough alone, and soon he felt his Sensei's foot pushing on his shoulder playfully from his perch on the couch. _

"_What's the matter Kashi? Pissed that I actually got you today?" Minato smirked happily and kept prodding him till he glared over his shoulder at him. _

"_I don't get it Sensei, it was pointless. Even as a teamwork exercise it didn't accomplish anything." _

_Minato blinked at him and then came up to rest his elbows on his legs. "You know, it's not a crime to have fun every now and then. Hell it's good for you!" _

_Kakashi returned his gaze to in front of him, frowning continually. So it was not an exercise at all. He had just wasted a whole day of good training for fun? _

"_Won't kill you, you know." Minato playfully poked the back of his head and finally rested back on the couch, content to let the other boy stew. "You're way too serious, Kashi." _

"_Oh don't listen to him, Kakashi." Kushina returned and held out a warm mug to him. He hesitated for a moment then took it from the red-headed woman. "He's just an overgrown kid when it comes to snow. You Fire Country wimps don't see it often enough and are insane enough to think its 'fun'. Drink that and then go take a hot shower. I don't want to deal with any sick kids, regardless of what the idiot thinks is going to happen." _

"_Hey, where's mine?" _

"_Only the losers get coco. At least that's how it was in my village." Kushina stuck out her tongue playfully and winked down at Kakashi. "You get to make your own." _

"_Aww, not nice Kushina." Minato pouted a little bit then stood and stretched. "Fine, I'll set about burning the building down because my wonderful, beautiful, girlfriend won't make me coco and help me celebrate my victory." _

"_Flattery gets you nowhere Namikaze. I'm on to you."_

"_Fine, fine, I surrender." Minato huffed his way into the kitchen and Kushina shook her head at him. _

"_I must be insane, living someone like that." She murmured and smirked at Kakashi. "At least I had a choice, you were stuck here all those years, you poor, poor boy." _

Kakashi smiled happily unbeknownst to himself. He had been absolutely livid that year about the whole ordeal but slowly, as things began to change he would think about it and smile. Minato-Sensei had been right and having fun every once and a while did not kill him. After Obito's death he tried in vain to retain his memory by doing random acts and being late and everything Obito had been better than him at. It was a fond memory the three of them had even if they had not realized it at the time.

He took a glance at the little blonde asleep on his shoulders and grinned more. Minato would WANT his son to have the same reaction to snow. Being scared or impassive to it would not do at all. Minato always enjoyed the snow, and despite being one of the most feared Shinobi in the world and being the greatest mind Konoha had ever produced he turned into the biggest goof whenever the weather turned cold and would hope for that one day of snow. It meant he could let go of all of his seriousness and responsibility and have fun for once.

"Hey, Naruto?" Kakashi nudged at the boy's consciousness a little to see how asleep he really was.

"Yeah Nii-san?" Naruto responded, snuggling into the back of his vest.

"What do you say to ramen?"

"Awesome!" Naruto perked right up and hugged around the man's neck tightly. "I'm glad your home, Nii-san."

"Yeah, me too."

* * *

**Author Note x2: **hehehehehhehehehehehhehehe I warned you..I did! This was more of a Kakashi missing moment but hey those are just as good yes? *evil grin* Bonding time AND history of the fabled team before Team 7 ;) I know everyone compares Naruto to Kushina in the manga but we see how Jiraiya acts and I cannot believe he trained Minato all that time and did not rub off in just a TINY way on him. They both know when to be serious and when to kick ass but they also have this 'goof' in them and I just love the idea of Minato screwing with his team when things got too heavy or serious. *grin* I mean Kakashi had to have more than Obito to base off of when he stopped being an asshole right? :D

Okay well off to work on Chapter 10: Dog Eat Dog. Prelims here we come!!!


	13. Encroaching Darkness

**The Fox and the Hound**

**Chapter 10: **Encroaching Darkness

**Chapter Summary: **The Tower is in sight and well within their reach. What will the third portion of the exam force upon the battered and beaten Genin who survived the test? And just what is this curse mark and what does it mean for Sasuke.

**Author's Note: ** Okay to start off, there was a change to chapter title, I apologize. I got to realizing I was on page 26, and I wasn't even close to Naruto and Kiba so …. That one is the next chapter. *evil laughter* however the first part of the chapter, begins an evil plot. Well not so much as evil as….okay yeah, it's evil. But not like a 'bad' evil persay…a fun 'evil'…the kind that makes you say SWEET! Point #2….if anyone out there collects the Naruto TCG cards….I have a question to you all….How in the hell does a person switch elemental alignment? I have several Sasuke cards that say "FIRE" and the lone one that says "WATER" WTF…. They don't mix!!!! Not to mention they have Naruto and Minato as Lightning…… noooooo bad TCG….bad! I want my logic back please!!!

P.S. yes …. I am dork enough to collect the cards…You should see my Young Jedi and WoW collections..EPIC. I'm a card girl what can I say ;)

* * *

He was running on empty.

There was absolutely no getting around it and yet something primal drove them all to get as much distance between themselves and where the snake and sound had struck. That was the instinct pushing them all forward. They wanted out of this forest as soon as they were able and since they now had both scrolls they had reason to head for the tower.

In his bag was a cream colored scroll, still safely hidden away, and in Sakura's bags was the dark colored scroll given to them by the Sound Ninja who had nearly handed them their asses. It had been a little too convenient for them but they could not pass up the opportunity presented to them.

After all, neither Shikamaru's or Lee's teams made a move for the item and had left them there with little more than glances in Sasuke's direction.

It was not that Naruto did not understand their reactions to Sasuke. After watching the events unfold he damn near fled with Shikamaru as the lazy bum had wanted him to. The feeling as Sasuke rose and focused in on the Sound Nin that had hurt Sakura had been absolutely terrifying. Naruto still caught himself glancing in Sasuke's general direction, his hackles raised and his defenses on high.

Even now, as they stopped for a quick break in the pre-dusk hours, Naruto positioned himself away from the Uchiha Heir and pretended to be too worried over Ririshii to pay any attention to the other two. It was not an outright lie it was just a convenient one he was using to his benefit.

Ririshii too had been skirting carefully around Sasuke and kept himself between Naruto and Sasuke, but his tail was between his legs and any of the friendly banter they all had was nothing more than silence now.

"Come here boy." Naruto whispered to the dog, who was still keeping himself somewhat on guard. He was trying to keep up appearances in case anyone else decided to happen upon them but Naruto could still see the change. Riri was still recovering and the pace at which Sasuke had finally decided upon to get to the tower by the end of the day was pushing Ririshii hard.

Naruto's hands ran over the sleek black fur once Riri was within reach. They then traveled down the dog's sides as Ririshii whined. Naruto parted hairs on the side he knew Orochimaru had landed his hit and began inspecting the skin around his stomach. For all outward appearances there was nothing there, save for a very large bruise from the impact. But Naruto knew there had to be something more to what the snake did because the attack had been first aimed at him.

"Scared" Ririshii laid his head on Naruto's shoulder and nuzzled a bit. "What is it…what was it…"

"It's okay Ririshii, I promise." Naruto hugged the animal briefly and took a furtive glance towards Sasuke and Sakura. Both of them were taking glances around the area and taking drinks from their water flasks. Sakura's hand would come up every so often and finger at the ragged edges of her hair. "We're almost to the tower and maybe someone can look at you…"

"No." Riri huffed, sending a hot puff of breath down his shirt. "Him."

Riri's tone made it clear he was more concerned about Sasuke than what had happened to him. Naruto sighed, rubbed at his ears and sat back in the cool dirt below him. They had all decided to stay on the ground since their confrontations; too afraid to trust the trees again.

"We'll be careful, I promise."

"Could have killed you."

"But he didn't." Naruto responded definitively and took out his own water flask and took a swig. He then formed a cup with one of his hands and poured the liquid out carefully and held it out to Riri. The shepherd lapped gently but Naruto could tell he needed it. "He stopped Riri. He can tell the difference between enemy and friend."

Riri's tail returned to the spot between his legs and the dog again whined. He was not as convinced as Naruto about Sasuke's reliability at the moment. Naruto was not too sure he was sure but that was what he kept telling himself. Sasuke stopped. Sasuke did not go too far.

Or was it merely because he stopped him? Had he been unconscious or indisposed would Sasuke have stopped?

"You two ready?"

Sasuke's voice broke their quiet contemplation and Naruto stood and nodded. He patted Riri's head reassuringly as Sasuke took back up the lead and they were off again. Any argument over what they were doing and how they were doing it stayed quietly inside of Naruto's head as he dutifully followed orders.

For the moment things seemed like they were back to normal. Sasuke did not have the weird marks spread all over his skin and he seemed rather relaxed and calm. Still Naruto could not shake the feeling of dred that had come over him when Sasuke's rage had been focused on him for that millisecond.

Sakura gave Ririshii a worried glance and frowned over at Naruto as well. She was like Naruto, pushing her limits. Both she and Naruto had little more than naps before the Sound Ninja had found them and were starting a fight. They would be useless for whatever the next part of the exam was if they kept this up. But Sakura was probably just as scared, if not more, of angering Sasuke. So like Naruto she followed along silently, beaten, kicked, and scared.

"_But we're still alive. It's going to be okay. We'll get to the tower and find someone to look at them both. We'll find Kakashi…" _Naruto began repeating in his head. If they reached the tower soon, and by his calculations they were close, they would still have two days to wait for the other candidates. Anko gave them five days and this was day three.

It was a small wonder that there were not more ambushes as they continued on their way. The closer they got to the tower, the tenser they all became but nothing happened. It was if word had gotten out and no one wanted to touch their team again. But it helped them on their way and within a few hours they were inching their way through an opened red door at the base of the tower.

They entered into a barren hallway with somewhat broken tiles and an eerie light overhead. Both Naruto and Sasuke drew weapons and kept their eyes above to the rafters. Sakura and Riri nudged closer to one another and kept their own senses alert. Everything was silent and, as far as Riri's reactions went, there seemed to be no one else in the tower besides them.

That put them on defensive immediately, because that had to be a trick. They had been out in the forest for three days. At least one or two other teams had to come here already. And where were the proctors handling this portion of the exam? There should be someone there to check that the team had both of the scrolls and all members accounted for.

"If qualities of heaven are your desire…" Sakura began reciting quietly, startling both Naruto and Sasuke. They turned on her and saw her eyes were drawn upwards to the wall directly in front of them where the lone feature stood out like a beacon. It was a poster with a poem written carefully upon it. "Acquire wisdom to take your mind higher. If earthly qualities are what you lack, train your body and prepare to attack."

"A riddle." Sasuke huffed and he began to re-read the words in front of them, mulling them over again and again. "Great…"

"The scrolls." Sakura muttered and began digging hers out. "It has to do with the scrolls; we have a Heaven and an Earth Scroll."

Naruto followed her lead, seeing as it was Sakura making the realization. He unwound the piece of paper he had used to conceal the item in his bags and held it out waiting for Sakura to continue her thought.

"I think it means we're supposed to open them here."

"Anko said not to…"

"Yeah I know, but there's nobody here right?" Sakura shrugged and put her fingers around the edge of the paper and looked up at Naruto. He sighed, mimicked her motion and together they unfurled the tightly coiled scrolls. Inside were a series of markings and Naruto knew enough from his digging on Seals of late to know they were related and dropped his on the ground.

Having seen his reaction Sakura dropped hers as well and the two scrolls fell one on top of the other. All four of them backed up towards the door and waited to see the results. After the scrolls put off their effect a cloud of smoke appeared in front of them and Sasuke began to snarl.

"It's a summoning jutsu!"

"_Damn it what now!"_ Naruto froze on the defensive but once the smoke began to clear he instantly relaxed a bit. There in the room, standing atop the two spent scrolls was Iruka. The scar-faced Chuunin smiled big and scratches at his ponytail.

"Congratulations you three, you've made it to the tower within the time limit. You'll be moving on to the third rounds." Sakura let out such a huge sigh of relief Iruka blinked at her with a concerned frown. "Man you guys look like you've been through a lot in this round."

"Iruka-sensei." Sakura smiled a bit.

"What the hell, why are you here?" Naruto found himself grinning too. Iruka was the second best person to see right now, behind Kakashi, and he nearly latched onto the Chuunin in relief.

"Well in this round us Chuunin are meant to serve as messengers to those who make it this far in the test. I was lucky and drew you guys." Iruka chuckled a bit and gave Naruto a quick wink. "Since you three are here with a day and a half to go, I'll also be showing you where you can rest for a while."

Apparently they all sagged forward on that note and again Iruka frowned but he did not voice his concerns and made a following motion with his hands, heading for a corner of the long room. "There is some ground rules…no fighting with any of the other entrants while in the tower, that's the main one. Do not go above the third level, that is restricted to Genin…hmm what else…"

"I doubt we're going to move much." Sasuke grunted and rolled his offending shoulder momentarily before shooting down a concerned glance from Sakura. "We really didn't sleep…"

"Heh, guess you're right." Iruka turned into a narrow hallway and led them to a plain door. When he opened it there were beds and a couple of bags in the corner of the room. IT had one solitary window and from its viewpoint darkness was finally falling for the third time.

Sasuke went in first and landed heavily on one bed, taking his own bag and placing it at the foot. Sakura followed after him but Naruto stood there with Iruka for a few more moments before speaking.

"Heya, Iruka-sensei?" he glanced over at the man and he saw Iruka's eye brows raise in interest. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Well we're not supposed to, but sure." Iruka whispered back and he took a few steps away from the door and leaned up against a nearby wall. Naruto merely gave a little point to Ririshii as a signal to his teammates and then closed the door.

"Can you send a message for me?" he asked once he put himself in front of Iruka again.

"I can't promise anything but what for? What's going on?" Iruka crossed his arms in front of him and kept a quiet eye turned down either side of the hallways around them.

"One of the other teams…well one of the entrants, he did something to Riri. He was unconscious for a good couple of hours. I can't figure out what he did though and neither can Riri."

Iruka knelt down to inspect the dog just as Naruto explained part one of his 'issue' and waited for the Chuunin to look back up at him.

"I dunno if they have someone here or if it's allowed in the rules but…but maybe you could give a message to Kakashi for me? He'd know better seeing as he has had Pakkun for a lot longer…"

"I can try Naruto, but we're forbidden from it. Rules say until the start of the third rounds you guys are on your own." Iruka sighed and stood back up. "I don't see any wounds and Riri's alright now, right?"

"Yeah it's just that something really weird happened Iruka-sensei." Naruto caved and hung his head. "I can't really explain it but…I dunno."

Iruka reached out and patted his arm reassuringly. "Well, I can try but from where I'm standing you three are doing quite well on your own. You guys are here, you're safe, and you passed. I think that's an accomplishment. Maybe when this whole mess is done we can go out for ramen, haven't done it in a while…"

Naruto laughed a little, as Iruka tried to put him at ease. He nodded and smiled. "Yeah, we haven't. Thanks Iruka-sensei…"

Iruka began to walk away, waving over his shoulder as he went. "I have faith in you Naruto. Whatever happened you'll figure it out."

Naruto watched him go then sighed heavily while looking down at Ririshii. He had figured that communication would be restricted from the tower. What was the point of going through the test if you merely tried to run back to your Sensei for help?

"Well that answers that, huh?" He whispered and gave Riri another pat before turning back to the door and going inside.

Sakura was sitting on one of the beds looking pensive and Sasuke was laid back staring at the ceiling. At his entrance their eyes turned on him as he and Riri came in and took the remaining bed in the room. Riri jumped up first and curled up at the top near the pillows and Naruto began taking off his kunai pouch, scroll bag and his shoes, all placed at the right corner of the bed.

"So what was that about dobe?" Sasuke queried and Naruto bristled at the reemergence of that nickname. Sasuke was glancing over his stomach at the blonde without actually sitting up.

"Eh, wanted to see if they had anyone to check on Riri." Naruto sat down heavily and leaned back against the dog, careful not to put too much pressure on his sides and let his head rest just behind Riri's shoulders. "We're still technically on the test till the fifth day so I wasn't surprised."

"I'm sure he's fine Naruto." Sakura smiled a bit in reassurance. "We should try to rest and regain our strength. I mean he said no fighting in the tower, right?"

"Yep, that's what he said." Naruto nodded and was very inclined to follow Sakura's suggestion. It seemed Sasuke was too because he humphed and closed his eyes and rolled away from either of them. Sakura began unwinding her headband and it revealed the shaggy, uneven cut of her hair. Naruto was still trying to get used to the change and was sure Sakura was as well.

He sighed and curled into Riri's fur and felt the dog's tail wrap around his arms protectively. He figured he would give Sakura that bit of privacy, as staring at her would not help her come to terms with what she did. For as long as he could remember, Sakura had long hair; it had to be a great loss to her.

Naruto would have been glad to just lie there for the next two days, listening to the steady heartbeat of Ririshii just beneath his ear and do nothing but sleep. Much to his dismay his mind was just to awake and busy. Despite being on empty, despite his body being exhausted, he laid there in the silence and growing darkness and found he could not sleep.

Ririshii had fallen asleep easily. Naruto could tell by the shepherd's deep breathing and by that same measure so had Sakura and Sasuke. After an hour of unsuccessfully trying to force his eyes to stay shut and his body to shut down he sat up quietly and checked to see if anyone reacted to his movement. They did not so he quietly slipped to the door and out, carefully shutting it behind him.

The hallways of the tower were barren. The floor felt cold but refreshing against his bare feet. The light gave off an eerie green cast and in the darkness he was sure this place was creepy. But he was not in the slightest intimidated by it. He had already seen the most terrifying thing he could think of to date and nothing compared now.

He wandered aimlessly for a good half an hour or more. There was very little movement in the tower, any other teams who had arrived before them must be doing like his and sleeping and recuperating. The only person he passed was a red-headed boy with a gourd on his back. They shared a glance as they passed one another, but nothing was said and the Sand Ninja barely made a sound as he disappeared down another hallway. Without thinking about it Naruto shuddered but attributed it to the light breeze going through the halls.

"_There's got to be a window or something…" _he thought about the breeze. Finally he found a little alcove in the hallway that led out to a small lookout post. Even though it was meant for defenders to keep an eye out on the forest for attackers Naruto quickly acquisitioned it for his own sitting area.

As he stepped out on the balcony he took a glance at the darkened forest, shuddering both from the breeze and the thought of still being out in that maw.

"_I wonder how long it'll take Shikamaru and Choji. I hope Lee's alright…" _His mind began filtering through all the many scenarios that could be happening that moment out in the Forest of Death and was guilty for taking the Earth Scroll.

"_What do I do? That man obviously wants Sasuke but what does that mark have to do with it? Why did it cause him so much pain and then when he woke up it was like it fed a ton of chakra into him. Why does he think he is only an avenger? Why can't he see Sakura and I want to help?" _

Naruto's mind refused to quiet as those questions and many others kept playing tag and were stuck on a perpetual loop. He gave in, sat down and drew his knees up to his chest. If it was not for the previous days inside that forest he would have enjoyed the view from his perch. He would have been ecstatic that they had passed the second exam and were that much closer to becoming Chuunin.

Instead he was just tired, worried, and homesick. Maybe they should have waited like Sakura had wanted to. Her hesitancy was her way of saying she was not ready, and from the looks of it neither boy was either. Still they had felt the need to prove themselves, both of them, and they had gone forward towards a new challenge.

"Naruto."

Naruto jumped and swung his head around. Sakura stood just at the edge of the balcony's entrance, a sheepish look on her face. He had been certain she was asleep like Riri and Sasuke but it appeared he had assumed wrong. He tried recovering enough to smile but knew it was a fake one and she could see through it.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine Sakura. Guess my brain just doesn't know when to be quiet." He huffed and returned his chin to his knees. "Shouldn't you be asleep?"

"I could say the same to you!" Sakura shot back and grinned as she stepped out to stand beside him. The breeze caught her uneven hair strips and blew them around her face. She reached up and pushed back the longer strips and frowned as her fingers played with tips that were still too short. "Guess my brain doesn't want to be quiet either."

They both went silent. Naruto was not about to try to make her feel better about Sasuke cause he still was not sure about the mark. He was afraid of it but he also wanted to understand it before he went rushing off and telling Sasuke what he should do about it.

Sakura was probably fretting. She was probably worried about the mark, about Riri, and about what the third exam was going to be. They had left her comfort zone in that classroom days ago.

"Naruto," she interrupted his thoughts and he glanced up. "About our fight with Orochimaru…"

He saw an odd mix of fear and concern in her teal eyes. She did not exactly look down at him but every so often her gaze would dart to him and she seemed to be worried about him in particular. "When he was leaving, he said something."

"Yeah that he looked forward to seeing Sasuke again." Naruto snarled in defense. "Don't worry we won't let him…"

"Not that part. He said he was pleased with the demonstration. He was impressed with the power of the Uchiha and….and…"

"_Shit! She heard! She heard!!!" _

"And the nine-tails chakra."

Naruto went rigid. He had been a fool to believe Sakura had not heard each and every word after the snake had bitten Sasuke. She probably logged it all away for later when they were not fighting for their lives and since they had this quiet moment it had surfaced with everything else.

"It sounded like he was talking about the Nine-Tailed Fox. But that doesn't make any sense that happened twelve years ago. What was he talking about?"

He could not force his mouth to move or his brain to form the proper words for this. She had HEARD. This was a nightmare and he was almost certain he was going to have a panic attack right then and there. She had to see how rigid he went, how his breath had quickened despite how he tried to slow it and his racing heart.

"He couldn't have been talking about Sasuke right?"

"No…" he finally found himself able to say one word. The only thing he really wanted to say was to forget it, the snake was off his rocker, but he could not ignore it.

"Then what do you think he was talking about?"

"You don't want to know." He said after several long moments. Sakura sat down heavily and speared him instantly with her eyes. She was accusing him lightly and he felt bad but he was pretty sure she did not want to know.

"Naruto please, what was he talking about? I don't like all these secrets. I can't trust Sasuke right now and I hoped I could trust you but…"

Naruto hugged his leg to him more tightly. That was a low blow she just pulled but she had a point and he either betrayed her trust or he got over it and just told her. He would just have to deal with the consequences as they came, he could not keep it a secret forever right?

"He…he was talking about me." He paused and buried his head under his arms. "The Fourth Hokage didn't kill the Nine-Tailed Fox; there was no real way to do it. Instead….he…he sealed it away in a container. In me."

He heard Sakura's loud gasp and peered over his arms in time to see her hands come up to her mouth to hide the shocked look that was not entirely hidden away. It was all said in her eyes. Naruto decided to look away and not see that look change from shock to horror and wonder just how well she was going to trust him now.

Still the silence was suffocating and he found himself talking again.

"I'm sure your mom warned you to stay away from me when we were younger. Hell a lot of people still don't like me all that well." He snorted. "I only found out about it this year, but it made sense you know? When I was younger I could not understand why people always…hated me…I guess. It finally made sense though."

In an instant arms were draped around his neck and Sakura's head was rested on the back of his neck. He froze as the pink-haired girl wrapped her arms around him and squeezed. She stayed that way and Naruto was not all together sure what he should do or what he should say.

"Naruto, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you." She whispered quietly as she hugged tighter. "I'm so sorry. That's a horrible thing to have to find out."

"Eh, it's not so bad when I can pretend I never knew." Naruto shrugged a little, somewhat confused by her arms still around his neck. "It's not like it's ever woken up or anything…"

"Then why did Orochimaru say it that way?" Sakura finally let him loose, seeing how tense he had gotten. She sat back but her one hand remained on his shoulder, comforting.

"I dunno. That's what makes me think he's from Konoha. The only people who know about me were the ones old enough to remember what happened. The Third Hokage made a rule not to talk about me, that's why no one from our class knows."

"So he knows who you are too." Sakura let her hand fall and seemed to think as well. "So he might just be a missing nin. We should probably tell someone…"

"I bet Kakashi-sensei will be wherever they take us for the final round of this thing." Naruto interrupted her. "We can tell him, he'll know who it was and what to do. I think Sasuke's got that thing under control for now, just as long as he doesn't excite it or anything he should be okay right?"

"Yeah you're right." Sakura smiled suddenly and nodded in agreement. "You usually are. Come on, let's go back to bed. We're not done yet and we'll need to be rested. We can always worry later."

Sakura stood and held her hand out to Naruto and slowly he took it and let her pull him up. He blushed as she pulled him along back to their room. She was not timid or shy, she was the Sakura he had gotten used to during their D Rank missions and for some reason that put him more at ease.

She stopped outside the door and turned and gave him another hug. "I won't say anything Naruto, I promise."

"Thanks."

"Before we go to sleep, I found first aid supplies in that bag that was left in the room. I want to check your arm."

"It's probably fine." Naruto scratched at his head but found he was being pulled inside. She sat him on the edge of her bed and dug quietly through the bag, finding scissors and bandages. With very little noise she removed what she had placed on his bite marks the other day and ran her fingers over the faded marks on his skin.

As she went about her work Naruto marveled at how easily she had accepted what he had told her. "_She's not angry, she's not afraid. She's okay with it….she's okay with me." _

When she was finished and was starting to put away the bandages Naruto reached out for the scissors she had used.

"Hey Sakura?" She blinked at him and he sheepishly pointed at her hair. "I…I can probably even up your hair if you want me to. It'd be like trimming my plants."

He was not too sure that was a comforting idea to Sakura, being likened to pruning plants, but he was pretty sure he could do it. It would be just like trimming his bonsai tree right? Surprisingly Sakura sat herself directly in front of him, her back to him and her hair hanging at haphazard angles.

Carefully he began using the dull scissors to trim away and shape up what had been done by her kunai. He was careful to keep the loose hair gathered in his hand and tossed to the floor instead of on her bed. After the first few cuts he lost his anxiety and went about his work just like he would with his plants. He was careful not to take too much off but enough to make it look deliberate and not an act of desperation.

Finally he got to the long strips in front and carefully snipped them to fit with the rest of her hair. When he was done she smiled at him and tried to hide the fact she was somewhat crying. Tears were unshed and she was once again timidly holding onto one of the stray strips of hair he had missed. "Thanks Naruto."

"Don't mention it." He smiled and put the scissors back in the bag. Sakura was lying down and he figured it was time to follow suit. He laid himself carefully back in bed with Ririshii, the dog only peeking one eye open up as he snuggled back into the dog's comfort. This time he found the steady beat of the dog's heart to be a comfort and he was finally falling asleep.

* * *

"Okay! Everyone up!!"

The loud booming voice was definitely Anko's that startled Naruto awake on the last day. The harsh tone and the amplified nature of it startled him upright and a kunai in his hand before he realized where he was.

Sasuke and Sakura had also come up fast but both seemed a little more relaxed than Naruto did. With good reason, of course, Anko was back in the vicinity and that only meant trouble for Naruto.

The commotion startled many and you could hear the commotion out in the halls. They grabbed their gear and hurried about getting ready. When they exited to the hallway a Proctor stood, stone faced and in the familiar gray outfit they had been attributing to Proctors at this point.

"You are to head to the arena now." The man pointed briskly and that was all that was said. They saw the steady stream of other teams, some Leaf and others not, heading in one particular direction.

"Guess that means it's the fifth day." Sakura whispered as they went along. The past day and a half had been a haze to most of them, as Sakura and Naruto slept and who knew what Sasuke had done while they slumbered.

"Guess so. Wonder what's next." Naruto grumbled, rubbing at his stiff neck and sore muscles.

As they went along they came to a large room with balcony's flanking each side. To the front of them was a large statue of hands, held up in a Ram sign and a raised platform where the Third Hokage stood dead center watching as they all entered.

To the side of the Hokage were a long line of proctors, including Ibiki and Anko and one that was not wearing the standard gray outfit. Naruto noted his presence and cataloged him as the third proctor and grinned. He knew the man, only in passing, as Gekkou Hayate. Kakashi said he knew him from his ANBU days, which meant the shorter man with a cough had once been ANBU.

Behind all of those was a congregation of Jonin, more than likely the Jonin of each team still represented in the exam. Many were unrecognizable as they were from other countries, a Sand Nin, a Rain Nin, Naruto stopped on the Sound Jonin. He certainly did not look like the man who had emerged from the Grass Ninja's skin but he was the only one with the Sound Moniker on his head.

He felt Sakura's little start behind him and knew she had seen the man as well but neither one could do anything at the present moment. To ease his fears a little he turned to the whole side of Leaf Jonin standing at attention behind the Hokage. Asuma, Kurenai, Gai, and Kakashi stood out like beacons and Naruto could not help but let some of his tension ease. They would not let anything happen on their watch and they were Jonin; elite.

Once everyone was inside the arena and they had been lined up in a particular manner in front of this congregation of ninja, Anko stepped forward slightly, and odd device on her head that was probably the reason her voice was so amplified.

"First of all, congratulations on passing the second part of the exam." This drew everyone's attention upward and towards the proctors. "Alright now, pay attention the Hokage is going to explain the third part of the exam to you."

All eyes turned towards the elderly man front and center. Maybe it was because he had grown up with the old man, or because he knew better about 'the professor' but where as some had become still and silent Naruto merely relaxed and enjoyed the sound of the older man's voice. That was another point towards letting his guard down, the Third was here, and as many would say the Hokage was the strongest in the village. Nothing could happen while he was there.

"It is time you understood the true nature of these exams. To understand the reason we hold these exams in conjuncture with our allied nations." The old man lowered his hat momentarily then raised his head up proudly. "These exams are a representation of the conflict between all nations. It is also a place where Shinobi can carry the pride of their nation and fight against other Shinobi for their lives. Many leaders and prominent people are invited to witness these exams as guests and also to seek Shinobi to work for them."

Some had begun to mutter at this point, but not many. Naruto looked down at Ririshii and frowned. _"Great it's like a dog show, and we're the dogs." _

"This exam can determine the course of your work from here on out. Each of those spectators will watch your battles and take note of the strength each ninja and each nation has developed. If there are any gaps in power, the stronger nations will be overrun with work requests. The country's strength is the village's strength, and the village's strength is the shinobi's strength."

"_I forgot he likes to talk." _Naruto sighed, watching the other entrants as the Third went on. Most were now looking between their teammates, trying to hazard a guess as to what the third exam was really about but no one seemed to catch on. Naruto, however, had an idea. He reached out and nudged Sasuke in the back, he glared back at him and Naruto pointed between them with a wicked grin on his face. The third exam was a one on one battle situation. They were to put on a show.

Sasuke understood along with him and smirked back at him, making a little slicing motion at his neck, insinuating that he was going to kill him in a one on one scenario. Naruto grinned, hearing another rookie making a comment and found the Third Hokage grinning at them.

"Very well…Listen closely as I will now…"

Before the Third got to explain much more Hayate moved and landed in front of the Hokage in a kneeling position. "Lord Hokage, allow me as the appointed proctor of the third exam, to speak first."

"Very well."

The man rose up slowly before turning on all of the Genin present and clearing his throat. "It's nice to meet you all. There is just one matter of business we must attend before the third exam. You see we have to have a preliminary exam before the real one can start."

That got everyone's attention and much to Naruto's surprise it was Shikamaru who first voiced his frustration. "Preliminary? Just what do you mean by that?"

"_Oh we both know what he means, we just don't like it." _Naruto scowled and saw Sasuke crossing his arms in front of him in a huff as well.

"Um, excuse me Sensei but just what do you mean by a preliminary? What's the point?"

"Well you see, the first and second exams might have been too easy. The fact is we never expected this many of you to still be here." He paused momentarily to cough and then continued on. "The rules of the Chuunin exam states that a preliminary round can be held at any stage in order to reduce the number of candidates remaining."

"Is that fair?"

"It's just at this stage we have to speed things up a bit." Hayate gave a little grin. "As Lord Hokage hinted at, a lot of important guests will be watching. We can't afford to waste their time. They came only to see the best. So if any of you are not feeling up to your best, now's your chance to bow out. The preliminaries will be starting immediately."

There were murmurs and dissent in the ranks but no one actually rose their hands or made any moves to back out of the proceedings. Sakura was struggling with the idea as she watched the shoulder Sasuke's mark was on. Naruto knew she wanted to back out and she wanted Sasuke to back out as well but knew the Uchiha would never go for it.

Without warning the kid with the glasses, the one that had been sticking so close to them during the first exam raised his hand and walked away. The silver haired Leaf Genin only smirked and stopped to say something to his teammates and then walked out the way he had come. Naruto watched him go, something about his sudden dismissal of the exams seemed off.

"Very well then that leaves twenty of you." The Proctor again cleared his throat and looked out over them. "There will be ten matches of one on one combat, those that emerge from this round will move on to the third portion of the exam. As for the rules, there are none. As proctor I am given a certain amount of leeway in judging the matches. I might intervene if a match seems hopeless to save as many lives as possible. Now, we will see what fate has in store for you."

As he spoke those words a large panel near the hand statue opened up revealing a screen.

"The opponents will be chosen in a completely random way. Before each match these names will appear on the display. Let's begin."

The screen came to life and began cycling through names, and as the proctor had explained, they seemed random. Each of the twenty remaining watched intently as the names were flashed momentarily. After a few seconds two names blinked on the screen.

Akado Yoroi vs. Uchiha Sasuke.

Sasuke was grinning even though he was gripping at his shoulder. They had wasted no time in getting to him. They moved forward as the other Genin began to disperse to the balcony's on either side of the ring. The Jonin and other spectators were doing the same.

Naruto and Sakura did not notice as they were shuffled along to the sidelines but Kakashi silently made his way behind Sasuke, passing by the Uchiha only momentarily and gave just one warning before making his way to the other remaining members of his team.

"Well you three seem to be in one piece." Kakashi grinned as he popped up behind them.

"Sensei!" Sakura smiled happily but then her eyes darted to the floor and to Sasuke.

"Kakashi-sensei." Naruto looked up and locked eyes with Kakashi. The older man seemed rather relaxed and happy about their progress but Naruto was probably about to shatter that into a million pieces. "Sasuke, he has this mark…he was attacked by this guy named…"

"We're aware of it." Kakashi cut him off, his gaze going from Naruto to the arena floor and the start of Sasuke's match.

"But sensei…" Sakura tried to add in as well but Kakashi shook his head at them both.

"Don't worry, we know. We're aware of what happened." Kakashi leaned forward on the rails concealing himself from the other Jonin behind Naruto and Ririshii. "You all are lucky to be alive in that respect."

"Who was he?" Naruto whispered back, stunned by Kakashi's admittance but not too shocked by it. They knew they were lucky to be alive after that encounter but hearing Kakashi say something like that was frightening.

"Orochimaru? He is one of the Sannin. He defected from Konoha years ago." Kakashi speared him with a look that told Naruto and Sakura not to press any further about the fight or the mark. Naruto turned his attention finally to Sasuke and his opponent staring at one another twitching and waiting for someone to make the first move.

Naruto found he was not all that interested in the fight now. All that resounded in his head was the fact that the man they had faced in the forest was a Sannin, one of the legendary three. He really had to brush up on his history and recognizing names. By all rights they should be dead. But then why did he enter as a Genin? What was his purpose?

What did he want with Sasuke?

* * *

Things had gotten complicated the moment Anko reported back to the Hokage. All of the Leaf Jonin and ANBU were present as Anko explained her encounter in the Forest of Death. Orochimaru was in Konoha, disguised as someone else more than likely, and his interest was on one of their own; Sasuke.

Anko did not know specifics of what had transpired between the Genin and the Sannin but Orochimaru had made it clear that he had encountered Sasuke and his team and he had otherwise 'marked' Sasuke and was very interested in his ability. Any attempts to disrupt the Chuunin Exams would be met with force by Orochimaru and who knew what the Snake Sannin had cooked up.

The only thing he could think of was the other two. Of course logic told him that Orochimaru more than likely did not kill Naruto or Sakura because Sasuke would need his teammates to advance in the exam but that did not mean he could not toy with Genin. Still he worried and until just moments before he had wondered just what it was that had happened.

They all were standing, that was a first relief. They all seemed alright, if not a little skittish and worn, also a relief. Sure he caught Sasuke clutching at his shoulder every so often and the way that Naruto and Sakura would glance at him each time he did told Kakashi something had happened with that mark already. They both reacted fearfully each time he went to massage at the mark now adorning his shoulder.

Even now as the two Genin still on the arena floor with Hayate went at each other he could see the nervous twitch in Naruto's arms. The blonde was completely unsettled by whatever it was that had happened, he immediately had tried to tell Kakashi but Kakashi would not allow him to get involved even though it was pretty clear he was already involved. Ririshii even seemed different, the proud and boastful shepherd sat quietly at Naruto's side with his ears droopy and his tail wrapped around his feet in an odd show of nervousness.

Kakashi decided to focus himself on Sasuke's match. They had decided to let the Chuunin exams continue and they would watch the Uchiha Heir for any signs that the mark was going to be a problem. Anko had been upset by that choice but she had bent to the Hokage's will. Kakashi also wanted to pull the boy from the proceedings but knew to do so was to overstep a boundary and Sasuke would have revolted against it.

It was not just Naruto Kakashi was looking out for anymore, Sasuke had also wormed his way in there. Whether it was because of Obito or because of Sasuke was on his Genin team, he was not sure but he had become somewhat protective of the three.

So far, Sasuke was doing well for himself and showing off just how well he could adapt to not using his chakra or his Sharingan. Kakashi had been sure to warn the Uchiha of using his eyes before the start of the match. The draw those eyes had one a person's chakra would be enough to stir that curse mark awake.

Sasuke had the older Genin trapped after they had gone at each other with physical attacks at the start. They both lay on the ground, Sasuke's legs trapping Yoroi in a lock. Both struggled with one another until Yoroi, who had made a hand sign before the start of the match reached out and grabbed Sasuke by the shirt collar.

They broke apart, Sasuke choosing to break contact for whatever reason and the other Leaf Genin came rushing at him again, reaching out the one hand for Sasuke's head. He grabbed hold and slowly drove Sasuke to the ground.

"Ugh my chakra."

"_Not only was he drawn first but he drew someone who had the ability to drain his chakra." _Kakashi frowned and noted Naruto's similar frown just ahead of him at the rail. "_This is just not his day…" _

Sasuke recovered quickly enough despite his opponent's draining him. He kicked out and came up to his feet, dark black eyes watching the fellow Leaf Ninja like a predator. This was when things would start to get interesting. Would he react like Anko thought he would or would he simply refuse to draw on something he did not know?

Again Yoroi rushed forward, his right hand aglow and ready to land another hit and to drain Sasuke until he no longer could fight. Instead Sasuke dodged under his outstretched arm. He did well to avoid most of the hits aimed at him but at one point the man's hand came way too close and apparently he did not need to 'touch' the boy to get a draw.

Sasuke stumbled away and glared at his opponent. The man merely laughed, assured of his victory against the 'rookie'.

"Gees Sasuke!" Naruto suddenly was yelling from the balcony. "Get it in gear already! You gonna just let him walk all over you?"

The outburst surprised Sasuke and Kakashi. Sasuke at first reacted as predicted, glaring in Naruto's direction but something changed and Sasuke's eyes went wide. The same way Naruto's did when he got a good idea. It was odd, what about that outburst could have possibly…

Lee was near Naruto. Gai and his team had positioned themselves nearby and the mini-Gai clone had come to stand next to Naruto and Riri. Kakashi grinned and turned his eye back on the match. Sasuke had thought of something and was going to put it in to play, not that it would make Gai or Lee all that happy.

"I'll teach you to turn your back on me!" Sasuke's moment of inattention had angered Yoroi and the masked man was rushing forward. Before he got too close Sasuke turned back around and locked eyes with the approaching storm. He again began to dodge each of the vicious strikes aimed at his chest.

When he got the first opening he grinned and was gone. Yoroi paused and looked around but in that brief second Sasuke reappeared and much like Lee came up hard with a kick to the man's chin. And then he came over, pushed off of the tiled ground and was gone again.

"What the…" Gai had already begun to mutter and Lee was leaning forward more eagerly on the rails in front of them. They already recognized what it was Sasuke was doing. As the man flew through the air, Sasuke came up behind him just as Gai or Lee would have done but then it deviated from the norm.

It was also where they all got tense. Sakura looked away and Naruto began to move, and Kakashi was sure that Anko was probably about to do the same thing. They could clearly see the burning pattern spreading from his shoulder out over his face. It lingered there for a moment before it began receding, which was a shock. If it was a mark like Anko's it had taken her years to reign in the offending marks and she had to have the Hokage himself seal the object before she could return to active duty.

The first strike was blocked but the second one came around fast and struck the man in the chest. As he started falling faster, Sasuke whirled around, hit again, and then landed a really harsh kick into the man's abdomen just as they reached the ground.

Sasuke leapt away, watching closely at his opponent who did not get up off the ground. Hayate took his time and then came to check on Yoroi. After doing so the short man stood and coughed.

"I'm declaring the match over. Winner Uchiha Sasuke."

The match had been short and quick, but Sasuke was drained. He was sitting panting as Hayate declared him the winner of the first match. Kakashi moved and just as the boy went to fall backwards he puffed behind him and stopped him with a bent knee and his book out. After all he had to keep up appearances in the wider public did he not?

"Hmm, not bad." This earned him a small grin from Sasuke. "Until that last move your style was very reminiscent of Gai's taijutsu. I am sure you copied that from Lee when you fought a while ago?"

"Hey Sasuke!" Naruto was calling out to them and grinning broadly. Any concerns he had seemed to be gone all the sudden. "You okay? You look like a loser!!!"

Sasuke snorted something under his breath then shrugged off Naruto's attempt to goad him. Kakashi's eye focused in on the prominent fan on the boy's back and could not help but think it over. _"To think he's brought his Sharingan that far already. He's only twelve." _

The Medical ninja took off Sasuke's opponent and after letting the kid rest for a few seconds Kakashi decided to get Sasuke off the floor as well. "Okay up we go. You're coming with me."

"What?"

"We've got to seal that curse mark." He patted the boy's one shoulder and stood again.

"No way, I want to see who advances!"

"Forget it. If we leave it any longer it might be too late." Kakashi straightened and tucked away his book. "We've already cut you enough slack as it is."

Sasuke begrudgingly obeyed this time around and Kakashi began steering him out of the arena hall to find someplace he could perform the sealing jutsu he had in mind. Kakashi took a quick glance up at Naruto and Sakura, watching him closely as he led Sasuke away. He hoped he would not miss their matches but was not sure he would or would not.

Anyway, the screen behind him said one of Kurenai's Genin and a Sound Ninja; he had time to get back to see for himself how the preliminaries finished.

The tower they were in was a pretty complex one but one Kakashi knew well enough from ANBU. They were sometimes thrown into this forest for training purposes and they used the tower as a base. He had wandered these hallways long ago and knew just where to go for quiet and silence. He was going to need to be able to concentrate.

They finally reached the lower levels, and he found a spot between a gathering of support pillars that would do nicely. They formed a half semi-circle and would help in the general formation of the circle he was about to draw out.

"Stay here." He ordered Sasuke and took out a kunai to pierce one of his fingers. Once he was sure he had a good flow of blood from the finger he set about writing out each of the seals and placing kunai at various lengths. He felt the boy's eyes on him but he ignored it. Each of the marks had to be laid a certain way and direction.

When he got closer into the middle of the circle he stopped and looked up. "Take off your shirt and sit in the middle please."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow but otherwise did what he asked. As he settled Kakashi began drawing to the boy and then up his skin. At the first touch Sasuke shuddered and made a move to get away but Kakashi stopped him with his other hand and continued about his work.

The final mark was finally made, completing a circle both around himself and Sasuke and a circle around the three comma-like marks on his shoulder. Kakashi took a deep breath then sighed. It had been a long time since he had done a seal of this nature but he was also gifted with a Sharingan and knew the seals were correct.

"It will be over quickly, you ready?"

"Yeah let's get this over with. I want to see how Naruto does."

"_Oh, guess I should have warned him it was going to hurt and he was probably not going to be going back to the arena." _Kakashi frowned but made no move to warn Sasuke. He began to move through the proper hand signs and stopped at the final one. "Curse Sealing."

As soon as he laid his palm over the marks Sasuke cried out in pain. All the little symbols he had painstakingly created seemed to come to life and crawled up the boy's arms and up his back to form a small circle of a seal around the curse marks. He held his hand there until all of the marks had raced up under his palm and slowly lifted his hand away to inspect the seal.

The comma-marks were now surrounded by a familiar circle pattern of words and seals that signified that it was indeed sealed. Sasuke lurched forward, breathing heavily and trembling.

"There. Next time that acts up the seal should keep it in check. However, it is only as strong as your will is. If you succumb to it the seal will break."

Sasuke passed out before he could go into specifics. Not in all surprising, seals of this nature usually did cause a lot of pain and due to his fight just minutes ago he was sure that Sasuke did not have the chakra or the will at the time to stay awake. He would take him to the hospital and then return to the matches and go from there.

"My…"Kakashi froze and listened behind him to the catacomb of pillars. "How you've grown. To think you've become strong enough to perform a curse sealing jutsu."

Kakashi turned his eye slowly over his shoulder. Out of the shadows a figure was emerging, hands in its pockets and its pace slow. There was only one person who would actually be interested in where he went with Sasuke afterwards and that was…. "You…"

"Long time no see, Kakashi."

It was the Sound Jonin from earlier, the one with the awfully feminine face. Instead now he had a more familiar pale skin and yellowed eyes with tattoos and a claw-shaped earring. "Orochimaru."

The man merely smirked, a cruel smirk as he eyed him from across the span of just a few feet. Orochimaru certain still held that air about him that made Kakashi bristle in response.

"No offense Kakashi, but I didn't come to see you."

Kakashi frowned, of course he didn't. He was after the boy just behind him, still wincing in pain from what he had just done.

"My business is with that boy behind you."

"What do you want with Sasuke?" His voice took on a harder tone and he tried to straighten to his full height.

"Huh. You've acquired something new. How I envy your good fortune." Orochimaru smiled darkly, his attention back on Kakashi and off of Sasuke for the moment, or so it seemed. "I don't believe you had it the last time we met."

Kakashi growled and braced himself a little. Of course he understood Orochimaru's indications.

"Did you? The gift; that Sharingan in your left eye." Orochimaru's tongue snaked out and licked hungrily at his own lips. "It's only fair that I should want it to…the Uchiha power."

Kakashi again shrugged off a cold lance up his spine. It was now clear what Orochimaru wanted from Sasuke, but then why did he not just kill the boy and take the eyes? Why with all of the marking and observing? Of course this was Orochimaru they were talking about and his motives had never been clear to anyone.

As they stared at one another impatiently Kakashi thought of what else he had said. Of course he did not have the Sharingan the last time they met. It had been by accident of course and only because Orochimaru was still in the village at the time and Sensei had wanted them to meet 'his' sensei.

When they had tracked down Jiraiya, all three Sannin were present and He, Rin and Obito had stood in quiet reverence as Minato introduced them to Jiraiya. Kakashi had noted how odd it was that Minato had completely overlooked the other two Sannin and focused completely on Jiraiya. It was because of the other two's attitudes and the feeling that just emitted off of them for miles.

Jiraiya was as big of goof as Minato was and Kakashi had no doubt where he had inherited that wild streak. He was jovial and light hearted as he goaded the three Genin about being of a long line of great Sensei's. Tsunade was distant. She had barely looked their way as Jiraiya went on and on with Minato. And Orochimaru?

He was just as he was now; intimidating and cold. Even as a boy Kakashi had known to never, ever cross his path again because if he did he was dead.

"I think you understand without my saying any more."

Kakashi winced at the tone and the look the Sannin shot his way. Oh he understood alright, he just did not understand the method in which he was perusing his goal. "You and your wild eyed ambition."

"Oh yes, my ambitions. But to play the game I need pieces on the board. Willing pawns to do my bidding."

"And Sasuke is one of those pawns?"

"Oh not a pawn. He's far more valuable than that."

Kakashi watched as the Sannin began to move forward. He kept his eyes focused on the man's feet without even realizing he was and counted each and every step. In all of the years after the Sannin's defection he had believed he would never cross the Sannin's path again.

Each step Orochimaru took the more hunched his shoulders became and the more tense he got. He readied himself and kept a careful eye on Orochimaru's progress and despite knowing better in his head, something else clicked and reacted just as Orochimaru's foot crossed that invisible line.

"Stop! Don't come any closer." Kakashi growled as he threw his hand down to his side and began gathering his chakra and braced his arm with his other hand. Orochimaru's look became surprised as Kakashi finally got his momentum going and felt the electricity licking around his palm. "I don't care if you are one of the Sannin, the three Shinobi of legend. I swear, if you take one more step towards Sasuke one of us will die here."

Orochimaru's only response was to start laughing hysterically almost.

"Funny is it?"

"Poor Kakashi. All your noble efforts all in vain." Orochimaru's gaze became feral as they again locked eyes. "Don't think I didn't notice that little project of yours. The Legacy of the Fourth Hokage. How he has grown."

Kakashi snarled as he realized what it was Orochimaru was talking about. Of course he saw Naruto with Sasuke but that did not in turn link him to Kakashi necessarily. Except…

"How interesting it is that a fox could summon a dog like that." Orochimaru chuckled. "How he reminds me of Jiraiya. So serious, so determined to stop me, so ready to defend his comrades"

"_Damn it." _

"As for Sasuke; do you really think the seal will hold? That you can keep him from what he really desires? You know I'm right, a heart like his only wants one thing and he will not be denied. He's an avenger, isn't he Kakashi?"

"And you think you can just take advantage of that?"

"You cannot stop it." Orochimaru turned on his heel and began strolling away from them. "Sooner or later he will come to me, in search of power."

Kakashi let his chakra disperse, watching warily as the man retreated with no more than a look.

"Unless, of course you carry out your threat to kill me. Now's your chance, take it if you dare."

Wordlessly the man left the area, melting into the surrounding darkness of the lower levels. Kakashi could still hear the slightest echoes of his footfalls as they got further and further away. Just as he left he felt the man's chakra and killing intent spike upwards and he knew then what an idiot he was.

"_One of us will die here?" _He thought as he felt the nerves in his leg tremble, and not from the position he was keeping them. "_I must've been out of my mind." _

He stood again and glanced over his shoulder at Sasuke, oblivious to what had just taken place. All of this trouble for just one kid? He may have heard the Sannin's reasons for coming after Sasuke but the true reason had yet to be revealed. He wanted Sasuke to come of his own free will.

But that would mean Orochimaru was right about the boy and he refused to see it. Maybe he had gone soft all these years looking after Naruto. Ninja instincts told him to follow Anko's suggestion until they were sure the seal was in place and it would control the curse mark, but the other part of him did not want to restrict the boy of his freedom. That would only make him hate the village more and push him into Orochimaru's hands.

There was nothing left to do now but get the boy to the hospital to be checked and return to the tower. He could do nothing so long as he was not sure what was going to happen. He would wait and see, and hope the outcome was not what the Sannin was foretelling.

* * *

"Oh man Shikamaru, you looked just as bad as Sasuke did out there." Naruto began goading Shikamaru, fresh off of his match with the female sound Ninja. "I mean honestly, a back flip? So weird…."

"You're one to talk, you dolt" Shikamaru snuffed back to Naruto who merely laughed about the Nara's advancement.

"Eh I'm surprised you even went down there. I mean did you just forget to raise your hand when they said it was okay to back out?"

Choji laughed and Naruto grinned happily. Shikamaru huffed and sat down at the rails ignoring their prods at his expense. Naruto really was not out to make fun of him it just happened and Nara took the bait readily enough. All three of them wanted a feel of normalcy in this already out of control situation. Naruto really was just glad they were there and not hurt after what they did for them in the forest.

"You know, don't you have your own team to be with?" Asuma grabbed a hold of his shirt collar and yanked him up a little bit, staring down at him as Naruto grinned. "Troublesome thing."

"Oh I see Shikamaru's gotten to you to huh?"

Asuma sputtered and let him loose. Naruto laughed and returned to his spot between Sakura and Lee. Sakura giggled a bit and shook her head at him and Lee was completely transfixed on the board in front of them. So far Sasuke and Shikamaru had gone from their group and had advanced. The next one up had to keep the rookie's odds going for them.

Riri barked as Kakashi puffed up behind them.

"So did I miss much?"

"Nah, Shikamaru totally beat up a girl." Naruto shrugged and pointed towards the Sand congregation. "That guy over there used some puppet to win his match…"

"Is that all you can say?" Sakura pounced on Kakashi like a wild animal. "Where's Sasuke? Is he alright?"

"Oh he's fine, merely resting at the infirmary." Kakashi grinned and leaned down next to Sakura. "I think you have other things to worry about though."

"Huh?"

There up on the board was Sakura's name and Ino's name. Hayate called out for them to get down to the ring and both girls looked momentarily shocked. Naruto and Shikamaru glanced at each other from behind their backs. _"Oh man, this is gonna take forever!" _

"Well this should get interesting shouldn't it?" Kakashi happily hummed from behind him. "Asuma, I do believe you said something about your Genin being better than mine?"

"Heh, you're about to find out." Asuma shot back and lit up a cigarette.

On the floor the two girls stared at each other once the fight had been started by Hayate. Naruto waited with bated breath to see who would move first. Yet all they did was stand there.

Finally Sakura was the one that awoke from her stupor first and she rushed forward straight for Ino. She formed hand signs and summoned up a batch of regular bushin. This insulted Ino and she began to ready her own attack. Sakura was faster though, her chakra control slightly better than Ino's and as the bushin flew forward she came through and landed a solid punch to Ino's cheek.

Ino was up in a flash and they met in the middle, fists clutched and nearly forehead to forehead. Both girls were now completely wrapped up in their fight with one another and for all appearances they were evenly matched. Each punch, each kunai, was easily deflected or mimicked.

"Oh man, come on Sakura." Naruto clutched at the rail, also engrossed in the battle below.

"Pinky" Ririshii whispered and laid with his nose stuck through the bars of the rails. There was no telling what would do what or when the similarities would end. Even Hayate seemed ready for a long fight.

"They're pulling kid punches." TenTen snorted nearby. "Honestly it's embarrassing."

It all got interesting when Ino threw her hands up in front of her, forming a small box in front of her face.

"Wait, Ino!" Shikamaru came up snarling from his position. "That idiot she can't possibly be thinking…"

"That fool." Asuma was also snorting and scratching at his head.

"Ino, I know you're frustrated." Sakura started to smile. "But that's pointless."

"Oh yeah? We'll see about that."

"You're going to try your Mind Transfer Jutsu." Sakura went on. "It's a jutsu that allows you to take over the user's spirit and wrestle control of their body away from them. It has its flaws though. The major one being your dispersed spiritual energy can only fly straight."

"Clever girl." Kakashi chuckled and Naruto looked back up at him. "If she can dodge it she can attack without there being any resistance. Ino's making a fatal mistake here."

Naruto turned back to the floor and to Sakura, who was starting to move away and around Ino. Ino kept her hands up in front of her and seemed to prepare for her Jutsu. Sakura took off running and Ino began tracking her through her upheld hands.

"Ino don't do it!" Shikamaru finally yelled out from the stands.

"_Faster Sakura, keep moving." _Naruto watched his teammate dart to and fro around the arena floor, hoping to keep Ino guessing as to where she would be next.

"Ninja Art: Mind Transfer Jutsu!" Ino yelled and soon both girls went still. Ino's body slumped forward and Sakura's head went down quickly.

"No way? Did she hit Sakura?" Naruto gripped at the rails and tried to lean out and over to get a better look.

Sakura was pulling at her feet. That was an odd thing to be doing but as Ino's head came up, a smirk on her face and her hands still on the floor it became clear what had happened. Ino was pretending and she had just trapped Sakura.

"No way." Sakura was still pulling at her feet and trying hard to get out of the trap but Ino held fast.

"I finally caught you Sakura!" She took one foot and placed it under her and on whatever she had used to trap Sakura in her spot. "This time I can definitely hit you. Ninja art: Mind Transfer Jutsu!"

The difference time was immediate. Sakura went absolutely still despite Ino's actually slumping forward this time. After a few seconds her hand began to twitch at her side and slowly she raised it above her head.

"No Sakura! Don't!!" Naruto came up on the railing, standing on the thin metal tubes, stuck by his own chakra. "You worked too hard for this remember? Don't lose to that lame Ino girl!!"

He waited to see if anything happened but it did not. Ino, in Sakura's body merely sneered up at him and went about raising Sakura's hand all the way in the air. She started to speak but stopped suddenly and soon both hands were clutching at the head of pink hair.

They were struggling with one another that was the only explanation as the two girls struggled over the same body. Something finally gave because Sakura's hands came up and she uttered the word 'release' and soon both girls were on their knees panting.

Both girls came up to their feet unsteadily, glaring across the span of the tiles underneath of them. Each one pushed off with one foot, aiming for the other with balled up fists. They came together much as they had at the start of the fight but neither one blocked the incoming blow and they both connected rather harshly.

They both flew backwards, the forces of the punches sending them away from each other. They landed at the same time and both of them stayed down this time. Hayate looked between them both before clearing his throat and raising his hand.

"Since neither combatant is able to continue, neither one advances this round due to a double knock out."

"Aw no,"

"Poor Sakura." Lee mumbled beside Naruto and he agreed. After fighting so hard at least one of them should have gotten through.

Asuma and Kakashi went down to retrieve the girls, and carefully laid them up against the wall where they all were standing. Naruto frowned as Lee, Shikamaru and Choji came up to crowd them. It really sucked that she did not win, not after forcing Ino back like she had, but rules were rules he supposed.

Ririshii stood and slunk between Lee and Shikamaru, both of them giving the dog an odd glare as he forced his way to the forefront. He curled up between both Ino and Sakura and laid his head on Sakura's lap huffing as he went.

"_Really hope we're not next up." _Naruto grinned as Riri made himself into a protective blanket for either one.

The screen lit up with names again, the fewer ones to cycle through meant faster rounds but it was still just as nerve wracking.

"I do hope that you and I can face one another in these preliminaries, Naruto." Lee smiled as he came back up to the rail to watch with him. "Though I would hate that one of us would not advance because of it."

"Yeah me too Lee."

The names Temari and TenTen came up on the screen. Lee's teammate gave a short laugh and headed for the floor as one of the Sand Genin did the same.

"So another one of the Sand Genin. This should be an interesting battle to watch." Neji observed from nearby. Lee lit up and began cheering TenTen on from the sidelines.

Both girls came to the center in front of Hayate and something about each one told Naruto this was going to be quite different from Sakura and Ino's match.

"Alright then, begin!"

TenTen merely jumped back and positioned herself well enough away from the Sand Kunochi who merely stood with her hands on her hips. Both stayed their ground and did not budge. Lee and Gai were cheering nearby and Naruto fought hard not to laugh at their antics.

Apparently the two female's behavior was not confusing to just him, because Hayate seemed perplexed and cleared his throat again. "What are you waiting for? I did say begin…"

"Heh, she must be waiting for me to make the first move." Temari laughed and she put her weapon, a slender looking piece of metal out in front of her, her hand resting on it gently. "Big mistake, because the first move I make will be the last."

"Wow she's cocky." Naruto snorted.

"Come on, I don't want this to be over too quickly. Come on girl, show me what you got."

"If you insist." TenTen growled and went flying, throwing out shuriken dead aimed for the blonde sand kunochi.

They never hit and TenTen landed with a shocked look on her face. "I missed her? There's just no way!"

"TenTen missed? That's incredible!"

"No it's impossible." Gai frowned beside them all. "TenTen's aim is perfect she always hits her mark, she never misses."

"Not this time she didn't."

"She never misses" Gai repeated himself and trained keen eyes on the Sand Kunochi. "There must have been something that made her miss."

"Man this is embarrassing." Shikamaru decided to join in, rested up against the metal railing. "Sand Village wins again."

"What are you going on about?" Naruto snorted over to him and earned a lazy glare in his direction.

"She's from Wind Country…" was all Shikamaru said before going about ignoring him. Naruto took that in and watched the Sand Kunochi again. Okay so what, she was from Wind Country…what did that have to do…

"_Oh, that's what she did." _

TenTen reached behind her and pulled out a pink scroll. She took a running start and began unfurling the paper around her in a twister like motion. In a blink a volley of weapons were raining down upon Temari who merely stood her ground and let her fan open just a touch.

TenTen landed, as did all her weapons, none of them ever reaching their mark.

"She blocked them all! What does she have in that fan!"

"Take a good look. This is the first moon." Temari began to smirk holding her fan out from her body somewhat. "When you see all three the match is over."

This only egged TenTen on and she pulled out two more scrolls. She stood one on either side of her and then began forming her hand seals. "Twin Rising Dragons!"

The two scrolls erupted and it appeared as if two dragons were racing for the ceiling above her. She jumped up between the scrolls, no longer dragons and began pulling at various symbols and releasing a good deal more weapons than she had the last time.

"_Whoa, that's what she meant! That's her ability with seals" _Naruto watched closely, trying to see each mark she had on the papers and what mark released what weapon. "_That is wicked! No wonder Kakashi sent me to her first…" _

The display did not seem to faze the Sand Kunochi and another purple circle was revealed as she pulled her fan up and made a full circle, coming around fast with the fan. The resulting wave of wind knocked each of the speeding weaponry away from their target.

Naruto knew now with clarity what Shikamaru had already seen. With the wind she was controlling there was no way to get the Sand Kunochi while she still had a hold of her fan. The third purple circle was revealed and Temari held the item behind her with one hand on the bottom and the other balancing one side of it.

"Moon number three, it's my turn." She smirked evilly and brought the fan around forcibly. "Wind Scythe Jutsu!"

The wind that was created this time was more focused and TenTen was caught up in it almost immediately. Lee was tense and Gai seemed ready to stop the fight but it was Neji who spoke out, though not that loudly.

"She fought well, but she'll never escape that whirlwind."

And he turned out to be right. Temari let the wind die down and TenTen landed hard on her fan, now closed up and beside her again.

"The winner is Temari."

Just as Hayate declared the winner Temari was moving to toss TenTen off her fan. Lee reacted and caught TenTen before she had a chance to land on any of the fallen weapons still on the floor. He growled in Temari's direction but the Sand Kunochi was already walking away, her back to them both.

"Lee get up here." Gai was barking and Lee obeyed him and brought TenTen with him. She did not seem too badly injured but Lee still doted over her a little.

A few of the proctors were clearing up a good deal of the weapons TenTen had discarded while the board began its cycle through names again. They all watched intently until the names stopped and the next two combatant's names were displayed.

Naruto whistled lowly and jumped onto the railing once more. Ririshii came up quickly and hung himself over the rail, his tail wagging happily and his tongue lolling out. There on the screen was his name…and Kiba's.

"Look at that Riri, it's finally our turn."

* * *

**Author Note x2: **MWHAHAHAHAHH yeah I'm evil and I enjoy it. That's just a sucker punch in the gut to leave it off like that but OH so perfect too. *squeal* Yes fans, next chapter will be the awesome fight of Kiba/Akamaru vs. Naruto/Ririshii. We finally get to see whose top dog, so to speak ;) A couple of comments to ward off the would be questions. YES I did decide to skip over Kabuto. Why? Well that's my decision and two, his whole roll during the exams I think is to just make sure Sasuke gets to the final rounds. It seemed iffy to me that his team would just ditch him and I think after encountering Orochimaru the gang would be damn wary of anyone that approached them alone again, even if it was a Leaf Ninja. Two: His role later, (aka go kill Sasuke) would be easier achieved because he's been so low key so far. Three: He sucks…there I said it. Ballsy little jerk that he is. I just did not like his uppity attitude. It fits him much better when they are on the 'retrieve Tsunade' arc and I won't be using him till then in all honesty. In this arc he seems like a bipolar jerk and I just did not want to add him in the mix, there was enough going on. So hate me if you must but "glasses" is sittin' this one out.

Also yeah I kinda kept the same fights in the prelims, and I might have glazed over just a couple of them. It was done in a way to speed things up and why fix what isn't broken…well not too badly broken anyway. Why didn't I skip over TenTen's and Temari's, though the same it does give Naruto a better idea of how TenTen is using her seals. A little nudge in the, OH that's what she meant, category so to speak.

Anyway, enough chatter! I'm off to start work on the real chapter Dog Eat Dog and hopefully get it out fast so you all won't murder me in my sleep…. I'm aware of the cruel cliffhanger but I just could not resist!


	14. Dog Eat Dog

**The Fox and the Hound**

**Chapter 11: **Dog Eat Dog

**Chapter Summary: **Many rounds wait in the preliminaries. Who will advance and who will not. First up: Kiba vs. Naruto.

**Author Note: **Yay for fun and games. Booo for the plague. It seems the fanfiction gods saw fit to strike me down for that evil cliff hanger. HA no not really, I work at a pharmacy so it was only a matter of time before I got smacked with something, unfortunately I was told it was the h1n1 business… and they are right, that shit will knock you on your ass. Luckily there was the new chapter of Manga and two new episodes to keep me company. The other issue was those sneaky bastards called 'holidays'. Yay for turkey, boo for it coming up so fast!

p.s. if anyone knows where I can get the music for the fight between Itachi and Sasuke in the 2nd part of the two episodes special…I'd be much obliged. Very inspirational and gets your juices flowing for fight scenes :D

* * *

Something about the air of the arena changed the moment the screen lit up with the next match up. Everyone in the vicinity seemed aware of the change and waited with baited breath to see what was about to happen.

Or perhaps it was just the change in Naruto's own perception but it just seemed like everything was more amplified and the feel of the air was heightened. It was an understatement to say he was excited; he was because of all the people he could have been chosen to face he got Kiba.

He stood steadily on the thin railing that surrounded the opposite sides of the arena floor, never once feeling the imbalance and uncertainty that had plagued him months before whenever they would have been lined up for these kind of one-on-one battles for practice.

Despite it being a far more real battle than the little bouts in the yards of the Academy, Naruto was sure and a quick glance at Ririshii told him that the shepherd was ready as well. They both were sure on this one thing.

Kiba and Akamaru were going down.

"No more pretendin' right?" Naruto whispered, surely catching Sakura by surprise because she gasped a little and blinked up at him confused. He certainly was not talking to her at this time so it was of little consequence as to what she was thinking the sentence meant. The only thing that mattered was the response.

"Go on." Kakashi seemed to half chuckle beneath his mask. His hands were folded neatly across his Jounin's vest and Naruto saw the little half wave he had been looking for and grinned back at the older man. "Show us how much you've grown."

And with that little bit of encouragement Naruto neatly flipped off the railing and down to the tiled flooring below where Hayate stood and Kiba had yet to appear. Ririshii came rushing forward as well, settling himself in a regal sit at his feet as they both waited for Kiba to come forward.

As always the Inuzuka boy came strolling up, confident as he ever was, with Akamaru atop his head. The little white puppy seemed just as confident as Kiba and had an odd little smirk upon his muzzle.

"Me and Akamaru just won the lottery, Uzumaki." Kiba grinned, his chin tilting up in a sneer, showing off the elongated canines known to his family. "We can show you and that mutt of yours just where you guys stand."

"Heh, we'll be seeing just who's a mutt."

Ririshii's rebuttal and growl must have thrown Kiba momentarily because he practically seethed at the shepherd. Slowly the low growl became a more vicious snarl and even Akamaru had begun to growl along. Naruto merely grinned to himself, his hand in Riri's fur, waiting for the proctor to start the match. Riri had never spoken in front of Kiba before, and now that he had Naruto had found it priceless.

"_One point Riri, Zero Points Akamaru." _

"Alright you two, enough talk, begin." Hayate lowered his hand in front of them both to signify the start of the match.

As was fitting, or at least it seemed like it to Naruto, it was Akamaru and Ririshii who moved first, not he or Kiba.

Akamaru came flying off his master's head, teeth bared and fur on end as he landed momentarily on the gray tile and then launched back upwards towards Ririshii. The size difference would normally give Naruto a little bit of an edge but he knew the Inuzuka Clan prided themselves on their dogs. Akamaru would be tough.

The little white puppy achieved his goal by locking onto Ririshii's front shoulder and growling as he did. Ririshii merely snarled in response, lashed backwards for the pup's legs and Akamaru was forced to let go before the much larger canines latched into his back flank.

Riri hunkered down in front of Naruto, his own scruff now raised and snarling; those glaring white teeth forming and impressive barrier between Naruto and Akamaru. Of course the puppy was the distraction. Kiba was hoping to keep Naruto's attention on the two dogs as he started his own attack, which was coming in about three…two…

Naruto ducked and flipped away from Ririshii, just as Kiba came at him, a well aimed punch to his head but the boy's clawed fists merely met air and Kiba had to maneuver in time to avoid Riri, now turning his attention to Kiba and just barely missing the gray and black furred coat Kiba wore everywhere.

Ririshii's teeth clamped shut just as Kiba darted away and Akamaru began to try to once again to hold Riri's attention. Naruto landed not too far away, on the side of the wall, reaching in and flinging kunai aimed for Kiba's feet. He knew Kiba was slower on his feet than he was so all he had to do was trip him up.

But apparently Kurenai-sensei had pointed out this flaw and Kiba, still snarling, finally reached for his own kunai and began deflecting from a crouching position. Naruto stopped, there was no need to waste ammunition when it was being parried and he smiled happily as Kiba snarled up at him and the two dogs stood paces from one another, hackles raised and teeth bared.

"Well whaddya know. The Kid finally learned something." Kiba snuffed at him, rubbing his finger along his nose, dark feral eyes watching Naruto intently. "But you're still a loser!"

Kiba pushed off and Naruto parried just as he came into range. He blocked Kiba's arm hard with his forearms and shoved back both with chakra and his body weight, pushing away from the wall. His intent was to pin Kiba against the ground but Kiba kicked upwards and he was forced to dodge away and Kiba did the same, each landing much like their dogs.

They just landed on the wrong sides and Akamaru took the opportunity to lunge at Naruto's feet. He jumped up, dodged the pup but was barreled into by Kiba, already on the offensive again. He snarled himself, got back up trying to ignore the happy smirk Kiba wore.

A loud yelp broke Kiba's perfect calm and he swung around completely forgetting Naruto to find Ririshii taking advantage of the pair's lack of attention to him. He had went flying at Akamaru when the other dog's back was turned and had instantly pounced on and pinned the smaller dog beneath his massive paws; his mouth closed dangerously around Akamaru's neck as the pup struggled to get free.

Riri was not biting down hard but he was biting down enough to draw thin little rivulets of blood from the white dog's neck and as Kiba approached him Ririshii growled angrily, yanking Akamaru up from the ground harshly causing Akamaru to again yelp and then hang limply in the shepherd's mouth. Honestly Naruto had seen Ririshii do the same with Pakkun several times whenever the uppity pug got on his nerves too much and he wanted to remind Pakkun who was smaller. Ririshii would not hurt Akamaru but he would make sure Akamaru could not get loose.

"Let go of him!" Kiba snarled and took another lunge at Ririshii who danced backwards and again tightened his hold. Naruto slide up behind Kiba and pressed the kunai to his throat threateningly much like Riri was doing to Akamaru. "You coward."

"I am merely exploiting a weakness." Naruto chuckled back, digging the metal tip in just slightly to Kiba's neck.

"Same old tricks. You always tried to use Akamaru against me." Kiba's eyes darted back to him and he snarled. "You think I don't notice you taking over the pack? I'm not about to just lay down and let you, you know. You're just a runt punk!"

Naruto frowned sadly knowing that he had used Akamaru before in their fights in the academy and outside of it. He did not know when it had happened but he and Kiba no longer got along and they fought with each other like dogs….fitting especially now.

He did not have long to ponder the Wolf-boy's words or his threatening tone. Before he could stop Kiba, his hand had snuck into his pouch and had flipped out a neat little pellet and nicked it to Akamaru's mouth. The dog swallowed the pellet and again hung limp in Riri's mouth….but only for a moment.

Soon Akamaru was snarling again, his fur puffing out and the little white dog seemed to get bigger. The white fur began to dull and soon Akamaru was snarling full out, his canines longer and his body somewhat larger.

Akamaru lashed out, his hind legs kicking out at Riri's throat and Riri was forced to let go. Just as Riri let go Akamaru flipped around and his teeth sunk underneath Riri's neck and the shepherd swung wide to try to shake the puppy free but Akamaru held fast.

Kiba went to all fours nearby and Naruto snarled involuntarily at the change in dynamics. The larger dog was being held down by the smaller dog and now it was he and Kiba solo.

"_Oh well, let's see what he tries to come up with…"_Naruto drew a kunai and began to think about what he had seen at the Inuzuka Clan grounds whenever he and Riri would snoop.

When Kiba finally shot off from his starting position, Naruto was already moving into position to block his elbow aimed for his gut. Kiba tried again, aiming for the base of his neck this time but Naruto swung around in time to deflect it as well.

As Kiba came at him Naruto continued to dodge and dance away. When they both landed again Naruto smiled proudly. He was near the wall that he had come down from and right above him, he could hear Lee and Gai-Sensei.

"Naruto! That is good! Keep him coming and you will soon have him!" Lee cheered above his head, recognizing that Naruto was using Taijutsu against Kiba now instead of hiding behind any clones. "You are much faster than he will be!"

Kiba snarled at the comment and pulled out two smoke grenades, launching them at Naruto and enveloping him in a thick dark smoke.

"_Damn it he's going to take away my sight. My nose isn't as good as his and Riri is busy with Akamaru. Gotta get out of the smoke and back in the clear…" _

Just as he found the edge of the barrier of smoke a white fluff appeared and began to attack him. He threw up his arms to defend himself from Akamaru and found himself back in the smoke. As he landed the familiar feeling of needle teeth digging into skin did not seem to come and he blinked up at a 'white' shepherd whose tail was wagging happily as dark brown eyes gleamed at him.

"Ririshii…"

"Henges, yes?" Riri's tail thumped happily against Naruto's legs and the shepherd reached down to lick at his cheek. "Little mutt tried to do the same…tried to take my shape. I put him down. But probably not for long!"

"Riri, you are freaking brilliant. How much longer can you hold the henge?" Naruto gleamed seeing just what he and Riri could try to pull while Akamaru was in 'Riri's' shape nearby and Riri was in Akamaru's again.

"Long enough. Lay down, we'll pin him."

The smoke began to clear and Naruto did just as Riri suggested and lay in the smoke cloud as if Akamaru had driven him down finally. Ririshii sat beside his body his tail wagging slowly and looking ever much the happy dog, thrilled to have pleased its master.

Kiba took the bait and Naruto felt his own nerves on end as he called out to 'Akamaru' and began to call him a good dog. Just as Ririshii neared, Kiba seemed to finally realize something was wrong but it was too late and Ririshii released the henge and sunk his teeth forcibly into Kiba's arm, straight through his thick coat and the ruffled black fur.

And Kiba practically yelped in surprise as the shepherd bit him.

Nearby Akamaru was finally coming up and taking on his own form again while Ririshii forcibly began to shake Kiba while growling. If Akamaru wanted to try something he would have to hope to hit Riri and not his own master.

Naruto did not know where Ririshii thought up the idea to use Henges but he was happily adding to Riri's score and not Akamaru's.

The only problem with this is when the idea was turned against you. Akamaru went barreling towards Ririshii and the little white dog's head hit in the one place Naruto dreaded…right where Orochimaru had hit the animal with the odd hand sign. Ririshii let go of Kiba and pranced away, somewhat favoring his site and Akamaru stood fiercely in front of Kiba snarling.

"Oh that was good, Uzumaki…but let's see how well you can do against someone who knows how to do it right." Kiba stood, and popped Akamaru another one of the odd little pills he had stashed away in his pockets. There was a loud puff and soon two Kiba's stood before him and Ririshii.

Ririshii slunk up behind Naruto, growling offensively and watching the two Kiba's looking for the same thing Naruto was; the flaw. But as far as he could tell there was none and Kiba made no move to speak or announce his intentions any longer. The two began rushing forward another volley of smoke grenades at the ready.

He felt a breeze just behind him and landed a good hit but was smacked by the next passing Kiba and he flinched. The only thing he could think to do was to repeat Ririshii's trick and hope that his friend did the same.

Kiba and Kiba came at Naruto again just as the smoke was beginning to clear but this time all three of them stopped with Ririshii nearby looking between them all.

There in the middle of the floor were three Kiba's all three staring at one another with snarls on their faces.

"_Why didn't Ririshii change?" _Naruto questioned as he kept a wary tension as he kept up his own henge. Of course it was possible Riri had tried this trick just now and repeating it continuously still was not something he could do. For now the shepherd stood impassively behind one of the Kiba's across from him._"He did not change but he's going to make Kiba believe that one is me." _

Except Kiba did not take this bait.

"You threw me for a bit, you little punk. But you're forgetting something aren't you?" Kiba proceeded to point at his nose. "I can smell you. I know which one you really are…"

"And I can tell which one YOU are." Ririshii growled back and coming to wrap himself around the Kiba in front of him. "My nose is better than any human's."

The Kiba that had spoken suddenly seemed in doubt. His eyes darted over to Naruto, still in his henge then over to the Henge that Ririshii had chosen to protect…the one that was not speaking…

"_That one is Akamaru and that one is Kiba. Riri has Akamaru trapped so that if he tries to repel Ririshii I know which one is which." _Naruto began to calculate and waited to see which one would make the first move.

Sadly it was Kiba. He slung out a kunai, aimed at the two nearest him. "I don't know what kind of games your playing but I know how to make you come out!"

He backed the toss of the kunai with a great deal of chakra and the weapon went whizzing towards Ririshii's head. It took just about every ounce of control to keep his feet grounded and his face neutral. Ririshii was already moving to get away from the weapon but something seemed off. He did not dart away as he normally could, propelled by his own chakra. Instead he seemed sluggish and imbalanced and the other Kiba stood rigidly still, afraid to be hit as well by the flying projectile.

It went past that Kiba and Naruto inwardly winced when the kunai, going faster than the shepherd was moving, hit the dog and Ririshii yelped loudly as the kunai imbedded in his rear leg, causing his back end to hit hard as the initial shock of the weapon digging in deep hit him.

"_Don't move…don't move…." _

Surprisingly Kiba went for Akamaru after the hit and reached out to land a solid punch in the Kiba's face and the dog went flying back and puffed back into a familiar white puppy.

"Wha…why didn't you move out of the…" Kiba seemed too confused by his own companion's actions and gave Naruto the chance to blindside Kiba and he took it. His fist connected hard with Kiba's jaw and he went flying. Naruto let loose the henge and took back up the hunt now infuriated that Kiba had just hurt Ririshii badly enough that the shepherd stayed put.

Kiba tried reaching up to stop him, his hand connecting with his collarbone but he did not feel it and he quickly reacted by slamming his head into Kiba's forehead protector, only momentarily wincing as the shock ran through his own. Kiba stumbled backwards and tried to regain his balance.

"You know I'd never hurt Akamaru." Naruto snarled as he gripped the front of Kiba's jacket, pulling the Inuzuka boy up to his face again and snarling just as loudly and viciously as any of their wolves would. "I don't care what you think I'm doing or what we're fighting about but I would never hurt him like that."

He pulled his fist back and took another wild swing at Kiba's jaw. He felt that punch and let go and Kiba felt back to his knees and stayed there. Naruto wanted to take another punch at his once-friend but he steadied himself and waited to see what Kiba's next move was.

Naruto was still seething, absolutely seething, as he watched the Inuzuka digging his claws into the tiles beneath him. Nearby Akamaru was starting to stir and was standing on unsteady legs but he made no moves to attack Naruto or Ririshii.

Instead Kiba's hand came up in front of him, little drops of blood coming from his mouth as he finally opened it and let some of the damage from Naruto's hits be seen.

"I yield."

Naruto stepped back somewhat stunned. The rage was still there, bubbling and coursing through his veins but Kiba's whispered words and the way he kept his head down while saying it…was he really going to yield the match?

"I yield to you. I don't like it but you're right." Kiba snarled up at him. "You never hurt Akamaru and neither did that mu…Ririshii."

"The match is over. Winner Uzumaki Naruto." Hayate intervened before anything else was said and Naruto took the break, the outside influence to break his fixation upon Kiba and went to Ririshii's side. He looked helplessly at the kunai, nearly up to its widest point into Riri's back flank. Riri held himself up by his front legs and nuzzled his neck as Naruto knelt down beside him and proceeded to heft the large animal up.

"Won." Riri's tailed wagged slowly as Naruto finally got up to his feet and started heading off the arena floor. He saw out of the corner of his eye, a couple of medic ninja attending to Kiba and another one lifting up Akamaru who whined towards his owner and wriggled free. "We won."

"Yeah but at what cost?" Naruto frowned and hugged tightly around the massive dog's frame, stopping at the base of the stairs and laying the dog down. They were technically off the floor and out of the way and he never could carry the dog that far, Riri was just too big and Naruto was just too short. "I shouldn't have…this is twice now Riri. I shouldn't have forced you to…"

He had just won a match and he was hugging his dog around the neck like he was the loser. First he had watched the shepherd throw himself in front of a man who was far too powerful and saw him unconscious for nearly a whole day. Now he was hurt again all because of a fight Naruto was in.

"It was my choice too." Riri licked his ear and then nipped at it playfully. "Screwed up the henge before otherwise four of us."

"Anyway, I think you two did quite well." Kakashi spoke from above them both and Naruto glanced up at the older man, standing just a few stairs above them grinning. "To be able to figure out henges in the middle of a fight is quite a feat, especially when your master was so awful at them."

Naruto stuck out his tongue at Kakashi, slightly put off by the joke but also expecting it. Kakashi crouched down and began to carefully push at the kunai still protruding from Ririshii's leg and seemed to frown.

"It's deep." Kakashi rubbed at his hair as if pondering what exactly to do. "It might have gotten in a muscle in his leg; if we just yank it out it could do more harm than it is now."

"Perhaps I could be of assistance with that." A woman in the familiar medic ninja outfit now stood above them. Behind her Kiba and Akamaru were being led away as well to be checked. Guess the losers did not have much choice in that. But as he looked up at her something finally stuck out.

Red fangs on her face…she was an Inuzuka.

She did not even wait to really be acknowledged before reaching down and steadying the kunai and a familiar green glow was around her hands. She did not look angry or upset about her Clan Member's defeat and merely set about her work, whatever she had set in her mind.

"You are correct." She straightened and glanced up at Kakashi. "It has embedded slightly in his bicep femoris muscle. But I don't think the damage is permanent we just need to be careful how we remove it."

She made a motion to one of the others and a man came up to help her and she made a reach for Ririshii and Naruto balked. He was not sure why he just did and gripped onto Ririshii's scruff tighter.

"I promise to return him in one piece." The woman seemed to smirk, the red fangs framing her cheekbones. "One of us should rectify my brother's hasty nature and since he has no talent at all for veterinary work I guess that should be me."

Naruto sighed and nodded. He patted Ririshii and watched as the two easily carried the dog the same way others had gone and followed after Kakashi who was already retreating up the stairs. It felt odd, walking the other way. It had not really occurred to him until just then but since that night four years ago, he and Ririshii had never been apart except when he went to school.

Even then Riri followed along and stayed out of sight until Naruto was on his way home and they stayed together. He took his spot back up along the wall, looking down at the arena floor and watched with everyone else as the boards began to flash with names again.

He felt Shikamaru slide in nearby and Choji behind him chomping away. He took a sideways glance at Nara before leaning heavily on the rail ahead of him.

"Man, remind me not to piss you off." Shikamaru grunted as he leaned forward on the railing as well. His head came closer to Naruto's and the lazy boy's gaze caught his. "Sooner or later you're gonna have to give up the charade, especially now."

"Tell me about it." Naruto growled back quietly but smiled about it in reality. "He really should not have messed with Riri…"

"It was still awesome." Choji slapped him on the back and offered up his chips as he wriggled his way in between the boys. "It's about time someone put Kiba in his place."

Just as he reached into the bag and helped himself since Choji was offering, Naruto felt the air move around him and he looked over to his right. Lee was doing high kicks in the air and looking rather animated all the sudden. Naruto returned his gaze to the name board and saw Rock Lee lit up in lights.

Versus, the last of the Sand Genin…the scary looking one.

"Yes." Choji was happily grinning from ear to ear. "Safe again."

"Chicken." Naruto grinned back at him and Choji nodded his head vigorously in agreement. Shikamaru sighed heavily and shook his head. "Yo! Lee! About time you got to go!"

"Indeed!" Lee popped himself up and then down to the floor to face off with the Sand Ninja named Gaara.

Gai was practically beaming at this point and giving thumbs up signal to Lee as the two sized one another up and Hayate took a moment to get ready. Once more the Jounin on the floor raised his hand and looked to each combatant.

"Alright then, if you both are ready, begin."

And Lee being Lee he shot off first, heading for the red-headed boy with the gourd on his back like a bullet. One hand behind his back and the other forward in a steadying motion, Naruto began to predict where Lee would go and what moves he would use. It was only natural since they sparred off and on during the past few years.

"Leaf Hurricane!"

Just as Lee's leg snapped out to aim at Gaara's head a wall of sand stopped Lee's advancement and he was forced to fall back. The Sand Ninja merely stood as he had, his arms crossed and creepy teal eyes completely focused on Lee. The sand snaked out, as if it had a will of its own and moved to strike at Lee but Lee quickly darted away and watched as the sand, apparently manipulated by the Genin, snaked around and formed a damn good defense around its user.

"What is that?" Ino was commenting nearby and Naruto wanted to snort at her.

"It's sand." Sakura was observing as well.

"Unusual." Kakashi also seemed to be intrigued by the display.

Lee did not seem too deterred by this wall and after a few moments he rushed forward, again his hand behind his back and his eyes solely on the prize. Each of his strikes were blocked by puffs of sand but Lee was speeding up and becoming quicker on his feet and even though he did not penetrate the sand, he was getting better at dodging its own attacks on him.

He pulled out a kunai when the sand began to slip behind him and tried to come from both behind and above. Lee dodged it all and used the kunai to disrupt the flow of the sand before it could latch onto him.

It returned to its circle around the Sand Genin's feet and the teal eyes looked down then up to Lee again.

"This guy is creeping me out." Shikamaru moaned. "Why hasn't he moved at all? Where are the hand signs controlling that sand?"

Naruto blinked but agreed with Shikamaru's observation. So far all that Gaara had done was stand there, arms tightly clasped around his chest and eyes only watching Lee. He had not done anything so far. How exactly was he controlling it?

The sand came out suddenly, a straight line for Lee's feet. Lee leapt up to avoid it but the sand just as quickly darted up from the ground and wrapped around one of his ankles; yanking him around and eventually throwing him into a nearby wall.

"Almost like it's alive." Naruto found himself muttering as he watched Lee stand back up slowly, considering his options.

"Why isn't Lee trying to get some distance?" Sakura's hands came up to grip the railing in front of her. She almost looked worried about the green-clad 'freak' she had been at first wary of. "He's only using taijutsu and that's never going to work."

"Lee can't use Ninjutsu." Naruto straightened and threw his hands behind his head, frowning down at the floor.

"What?"

"That's right." Gai nodded and also kept his attention on Lee and his opponent. "Lee has no Ninjutsu or Genjutsu skills at all."

"You're kidding?"

"Heh, shoulda seen how hopeless he was when I first got a hold of him, right Naruto?" Gai laughed and winked in Naruto's general direction.

"Hopeless? Hardly, but at least I could keep up with him before you got a hold of him." Naruto frowned over at Gai, a warning glare about how close he was getting to being stupid. Gai ignored it completely and they all silenced when Lee, doing well to avoid being caught again, finally slipped up when the sand got beneath him and tripped him up.

The sand came down hard and fast on the fallen Leaf Ninja and Sakura was quickly shutting her eyes hoping not to see. Shikamaru and Choji also seemed to come forward in anticipation of the end of the fight but only Gai and Naruto chuckled as the sand came down on nothing.

Lee had flipped away at the last second and was now crouching on the tips of the finger statue at the head of the arena floor. The two began a staring match and Gai saw fit to continue explaining to Sakura just what Lee was about.

"To find a ninja who can do neither Ninjutsu nor Genjutsu is a rarity. He is physically incapable of using his chakra in such a way as to fashion either. Most consider that a disadvantage but that is what makes Lee a winner." Gai was puffing up proudly. "Alright Lee!" he yelled out suddenly, his thumb up again and his eyes gleaming. "Take em off!"

"But Gai-sensei…."

"Oh just do it Lee!" Naruto was smiling and yelling now to. "He is giving you permission to!!"

"You know what he is going to do don't you?" Shikamaru elbowed him hard and Naruto began to nod happily.

Lee sat down, cross-legged on the finger tip and began pulling the orange legwarmers away from his feet and revealed white weights. He carefully removed each one and then stood with them in his hands.

"Weights? How old fashioned."

"Leg weights?" Kakashi was raising an eyebrow over to Gai then smirked a little himself.

"He thinks he'll be able to hit Gaara by removing a few weights?" they could hear the female of the Sand team laughing from across the hall.

As Lee let the weights drop it soon became clear that they were not the normal leg weights everyone thought they were. When they finally hit the ground two mini craters appeared and huge puffs of debris came flying up from the damage caused.

"Gai you are too much…"

"Alright Lee, now go!"

"Yes sir!!"

Lee was gone in a blink of an eye. Gaara came at attention the moment he lost sight of him and his look of shock only deepened as Lee came up from behind and his fist nearly came through that wall of sand. He was gone just as soon as Gaara turned his head and was behind him yet again, his foot nearly landing a hit as well.

Nothing was hitting the Sand Genin yet but Naruto was sure Lee was toying with Gaara, letting him know that now he could hit him if he so wished. By the way Gaara began turning wildly and the sand's composition was spread more thinly Lee was succeeding in this threat.

Finally Lee flipped up, a small green blur in the air and came back down hard with his leg outstretched. He landed a solid hit on the red-head below him and though Gaara did not go down, he stood his shoulders hunched and head still down as Lee landed far enough away to be able to react to his next move; a grin upon his face.

"Alright Lee!! Let the power of youth explode!!!"

Naruto began laughing as Gai really got into the battle below. He had to admit, Lee put on a good show when he took the weights off and watching Gai and Lee go at each other? Priceless.

"Right!!"

As Lee rushed forward Gaara's hands finally came loose from their crossed position and he made a wide sweeping motion with his hands to cause the sand to wave in front of him but it was too slow. Lee was behind again and his eyes were aflame as he too got into his own battle. He landed a good blow to Gaara's head and the Sand Ninja went tumbling backwards from Lee.

As Gaara stood, the sand leaking from that huge gourd on his back, everyone could see the look of utter shock, but also utter rage upon his face. Those teal eyes zeroed in on Lee fast as ever and when his head finally came up they all stood in silence. He was grinning like mad now, and pieces of his face were falling away like broken ceramics. The sand that he had been using outwardly was not the only thing he had been controlling.

"He's made armor out of the sand." Kakashi was whispering to himself but loud enough for Gai to hear as well. "What kind of chakra is this kid playing with?"

Lee responded by unwrapping his bandages and focusing as hard as he could, his hands placed in front of him. It was the same move that Lee had tried using against Sasuke and had used against the Sound Ninja. When he was finally ready he began tearing around Gaara as fast as he could, causing loose dirt, debris and other such lightweight materials like the sand to come up of the ground.

His showmanship must have pissed the Sand Genin off because they all heard his low voice as he called out to Lee. "What are you waiting for?"

"Very well you asked for it."

Lee's foot connected with Gaara's chin and the Sand Ninja was airborne. Lee followed up with a series of kicks that kept elevating Gaara until he was finally out of reach of the sand on the ground, or so it seemed. Naruto watched transfixed as he went and waited for the second part of Lee's Lotus.

He winced, however, when he saw Lee flinch when one of his kicks landed.

Lee got the bandages around the boy and they began twisting as they came back towards the ground at a very high speed. This time, Naruto grinned, there was no Sound manipulator to make the tiles go soft. This time, Lee was going to win using this move.

They landed and Naruto wondered momentarily how much it cost to replace the floor of the arena. Between all of them fighting and most of them getting pretty intense, the floor was not going to be there by the end of the preliminaries, let alone the finals.

Lee landed panting, a few feet away from the crater created. He was crouching instead of standing and something told Naruto that perhaps Lee had been pushing it with his speed. Hayate inched forward carefully to check and see the outcome. They all watched patiently but as the smoke cleared it became clear that Lee had missed…

There was only an empty shell, starting to crack away as Hayate got close enough to see.

"What?"

"No way…"

Up from behind Lee the sand came up again, hiding Gaara beneath it. Lee swung around, just as disbelieving as everyone else and the Sand Genin began to laugh. Not a happy laugh, not an amused laugh, a dark and chilling laugh as he grinned at Lee.

This time Gaara formed a hand sign and the sand began to grow as did the feeling in the air. The Sand Ninja was completely out of it and he began laughing louder as the sand amplified and came at Lee faster than he could dodge and block it. When Lee landed his leg landed wrong and he turned to face Gaara who was drawing the sand back up and behind him in a large wave.

"Lee run!!!" Sakura called out beside him and Lee seemed to try but did not escape the large cascade of sand and was slammed up against another wall.

"He's hurt." Naruto muttered and growled. "That lotus thing takes too much."

"Wha? Then why isn't he giving up the fight?"

"Dunno." Naruto glanced back at Gai, hoping at least Gai-sensei would have enough wherewithal to stop the fight if it got too out of hand but for now he supposed it was Lee's choice to keep going.

"He can't keep doing this!" Sakura swung around on Gai and pleaded with the older man. "Stop it before he gets himself killed."

But just as she pleaded with him Lee stood in his usual position, his hand erect in front of him and one behind his back and he did the oddest thing; he smiled. The sand came flying at him and this time he began dancing away, dodging each attack. He had found his footing again.

"How is he still able to move like that?"

"The Lotus of the Leave Village blooms twice." Gai muttered a small grin upon his face as he watched and Naruto found himself looking back with Sakura at the older man in green.

Whatever he had just said set Kakashi off, however, and he came away from the wall and faced Gai fully. "You can't be serious. Gai you didn't."

Gai merely closed his eyes and nodded his head. "Yes Kakashi, I did."

"So that Genin…that boy…is able to open the eight inner gates and use the hidden lotus?"

"_Okay, now I'm listening." _Naruto frowned noting the dangerous tone Kakashi's voice had suddenly taken. Usually Kakashi did not care about Gai's wild boasts and training regimes, nor did he listen to Gai's prideful tales of his Genin, especially Lee, but something was going on here all the sudden and now Kakashi was concerned, or so it sounded.

"That's correct."

"Well if that isn't the most…." Kakashi closed his eye and reigned himself back in. "So how many of the eight inner gates can he open?"

"Five gates."

"What are they talking about?" Sakura glanced down at him and Naruto shrugged, just as curious as she was as to why Kakashi was upset by this.

"The gates are like valves, chakra limiters." Gai frowned and turned his head back to Lee, still smiling on the floor. "It is the only way to perform the hidden lotus…"

Kakashi was still huffing a bit under his breath and he reached up to his headband, revealing his Sharingan eye as he too focused on Lee. "There are gates along the chakra network, located at the points where the body's chakra is most concentrated. Starting at the head they are Opening, Rest, Life, Pain, Closing, Joy, Shock, and the Gate of Death."

"Death." Naruto swung back around to Lee and counted to himself. Gai said Lee could only open five gates, well away from that last one but maybe Kakashi had not said them in order.

"These gates act as limiters to chakra, so that everything is in balance. The Lotus puts a lot of pressure on these gates and 'forces' them open, allowing the chakra to flow freely and without restraint. It can allow a person to double or triple their strength and speed…"

"The first lotus you have seen only opens the first gate." Gai pointed out. "The Gate of Opening. It releases the brain's restraints on the muscles and allows you to obtain your body's full potential."

"But…that first one nearly destroyed him, he could barely move." Sakura began to wring her hands in front of her a bit, taking furtive glances out on the arena floor. "What happens if he takes it further?"

"Exactly." Kakashi growled and rested his hands on the railing near Naruto, where Lee had once stood. "If you open all eight gates you can in theory obtain power greater than the Hokage's. There is just one drawback; you die."

"What?"

Naruto winced as well. They had to be joking. Why did Lee know something like that? What was Gai…what was Lee thinking?

"I don't know what this boy means to you Gai…" Kakashi was snarling a little now, his red eye focused entirely on Gai.

"You're one to talk." Gai snapped back and Kakashi flinched and so did Naruto. "Wouldn't you do the same thing? Would you not teach him to defend himself if something dangerous enough approached, despite its drawbacks? This is all Lee has; this is all he can do. I had no other choice."

"You better hope this works." Kakashi snarled back and subconsciously gripped the railing in front of him as well. "I don't think you can deal with the outcome if it doesn't."

Naruto was too busy watching the transformation now as Lee seemed to be going through the inner gates. His face was now red and his eyes closed tightly. Little veins had begun to pop up around his eyes, forehead and neck. And the sense of his chakra growing stronger was unmistakable.

"You said he couldn't use his chakra though." Sakura was still trying to find a reason and trying to talk reason to the older Jounin. "He shouldn't be able to…"

"His chakra network is…damaged..yes." Gai smiled as Lee brought his hands down and now stood tall in front of his attacker. "But the primary gates always remain. Everyone has chakra it is their capability to use it that makes a ninja. Because he has less to focus on he can easily open the gates and obtain the Hidden Lotus."

"It also puts him at greater risk."

Naruto looked up to Kakashi sensing the irritation. Why was Kakashi so worked up over this? Was it really that dangerous if he only could open five gates?

Lee finally began his attack and it was hard to watch. Not because of the hits he was landing, it was just too fast and in one blink Lee would be there but in another he would be gone. Gaara was getting the snot beat out of him and Lee seemed to only get stronger.

Lee got a hold of the boy's white strip, the one wrapped around his waist and for a moment they were airborne, Lee keeping a hold of the strip of clothing and the sand trying desperately to protect its host. Something else snapped to attention and Lee finally yanked on the cloth, bringing Gaara flying towards him.

"_I've never seen him like this. That's too fast and too strong…This has to finish it." _

The strike Lee delivered sent Gaara to the floor but so did Lee. Lee lay unmoving for a moment and everyone turned towards where the Sand Ninja had landed. And they all balked when it was clear he was still alive. This time the gourd was gone, now mere sand beneath him. He has used it to cushion his fall but it still should have put him down.

Instead he reached out with a shaking hand and the sand began bee lining for Lee who was managing to get up. Lee saw it and tried escaping but he could not move again. The sand grabbed hold of his arm and leg, and began to squeeze as more sand crawled up Lee's limbs.

Naruto pulled on the railing, got up and was about to launch when Kakashi's hand grabbed a hold of his coat back and yanked back harshly.

"No, stop!"

"But he's gonna kill him!" Naruto snarled back at Kakashi but Kakashi did not let go. Something was wrong, Kakashi seemed unwilling to bend or even consider stopping the fight.

Luckily by now, Gai seemed to have awoken and just as the sand began to enclose he intervened and broke it away from Lee, now unconscious. Gai looked pissed as he stood firmly in front of Lee and as the Sand Genin seethed and came to his knees.

For a while nothing happened except a staring match but they all slowly realized that the fight was over. Gai had intervened and that had thrown the match for Lee. Something about what had happened though set Gaara off and he began cringing and holding his head as if in pain. Maybe the fall had finally gotten to the Sand Ninja but instead he merely glared up at the Green Beast of Konoha.

"Why? He failed! Why save him!"

"_What the hell is wrong with him?" _Naruto could not help but see the hungry look in the other boy's eyes. The rimmed teal orbs wanted to kill Lee, they wanted to see him suffer because Lee had forced him to endure pain as well.

"He is my student." Gai snarled back. "And he is precious to me."

"Whatever." Gaara stood and the sand began to replace the broken and missing pieces of his armor. It snaked up the boy's legs and arms and reformed the gourd at his back. "I quit."

Lee stood, surprisingly and Gai turned to the boy behind him. Naruto watched somewhat transfixed as finally Gai acted like a teacher and stopped Lee from going after the retreating Sand Ninja.

"The winner is Gaara." Hayate declared and once more medical ninja began rushing out as Gai simply hugged Lee too him. Lee did not respond or move and as the medics got closer Gai laid him down gently so they could see to him.

It was way too much for Naruto all the sudden. This was not right and he put his arms straight up, allowing him to slip out of the jacket Kakashi had a hold of. He hit the tiles running and though he heard Kakashi telling him to stop he did not.

As Naruto passed the retreating Sand Ninja he snarled involuntarily and the teal eyes focused in on him for a moment. He remembered passing the ninja in the darkness in the tower and now he would remember him always. Those dark rung eyes saw straight through him and finally he used a jutsu to return himself the balcony and Naruto came to a skidding halt just behind Gai as the Medical ninja carefully loaded Lee on a stretcher and began to check his injuries.

"Come on bushy brow…" Naruto whispered watching but Lee did not open his eyes or respond in anyway and even Gai seemed to deflate a little. "We were supposed to win remember…"

The head of the unit sent out to check on Lee stood and was motioning to Gai. The others were lifting Lee up carefully and taking him off the floor. The woman in the middle, checking vitals and making sure the others were not jostling their cargo too much gave a quick smile in his direction and a small wave before returning to her work. It took Naruto several moments but then he smiled a little as well…it was Yoshi, a friend of Kakashi's.

Gai seemed to tense up all over again as the Medical Ninja told him something in hushed tones. Gai nodded, the medic bowed and soon it was clear Gai was upset because the older man did not flash one of those grins or make any kind of boastful comment. Instead he just stood there.

"Gai-sensei?"

"He says Lee will never fight again, that his days as a Shinobi are over."

Naruto balked a little, his eyes training on the retreating stretcher with Lee on it. That was not right, it could not be right at all. Looking up at Gai he saw that Gai seemed to believe their assertion and was really torn up about this turn of events.

"Guess they don't know Lee then." Naruto whispered finally, folding his arms and nodding his head.

Gai stared down at him for a moment then clamped him on the shoulder firmly. "You are absolutely right. They don't know Lee do they?"

"Nope. He'll prove them wrong." Naruto again nodded and took off after the stretcher. He was tired of watching all of this destruction and he really wanted to eves drop on the medics who had taken Lee out. He had a perfect excuse; he was going to find Ririshii and the Inuzuka woman who had taken him.

The halls opened up into separate rooms all in a circle like formation. Many of them were closed, one was only part way open and the others were open all the way. Inside one of the open ones he saw the back of the woman who had taken Ririshii and the dog lying on a bed on the floor. He looked like he was asleep as she was putting some odd smelling medicine over a large gash in his leg, and moving to suture the edges together.

He snuck in and stood nearby, watching intently as she went about her work. The gash was much larger than a kunai and he wondered why it was so much bigger now that the weapon was removed. _"Maybe I shouldn't have trusted her." _

"I had to make an incision to get the kunai out without damaging his leg permanently."

Naruto blinked then blushed a bit; sure the woman was also a ninja and was well aware she was watching him.

"Didn't trust me?"

"No, it's just that…" Naruto scratched at his head and blushed even more. "We've never really been apart ya know?"

Without warning a head butted its way underneath his hand and he looked down to see a gray wolf rubbing his head against his hand. He scratched a little and the wolf yipped in response. Nearby others yipped and Naruto realized there were three wolves all together. The woman smiled a little, her eyes never leaving the sutures she was weaving in and out of the dark tan skin.

"I can understand such feelings; after all we Inuzuka are paired with our familiars at very young ages." She pulled a little and Riri, eyes still shut, whimpered a little in response but otherwise stayed asleep. "He is a beautiful animal and he can speak. It's very rare to have a dog who speaks. Only mother's Kuromaru speaks in our pack. We can understand our dogs but they do not speak."

"Oh, kinda just figured they all did." Naruto slid down the wall and found himself in the presence of the other wolves as they came up to sit near or beside him. "I thought since Akamaru was kinda young…"

"Heh, yes it is a hard perception to break. Everyone believes we are dogs ourselves."

"Wouldn't be so bad." Naruto laughed. "Dogs are great."

"Hmm. My name is Hana by the way. You are Naruto correct?"

"Yeah."

"It is even odder to see a ninja outside of our family treat their familiars as equals and not weapons. You are very attached to Ririshii."

"Well yeah, he's always been there for me." Naruto looked to the dog's head and wished Riri would be able to hop up and be alright but something told him that the leg would need time to heal properly.

"He is lucky to have you. I apologize for Kiba, he knows better than to use such force against a fellow Leaf Ninja. It seems his pride is still an issue."

"Well I did kinda goad him."

She finished with the stitches and began weaving a length of bandages around Ririshii's hip. As she finished she patted the animal's front flank and came to stand above Naruto. She smiled kindly and made a sign to her wolves that stood and left the room.

"He will be groggy for a little while longer, but he should be awake and fine in an hour or two. Since he can speak and understand, you must tell him not to bite or itch at the leg, despite how itchy it will be. It will take a week or two before he can walk normally on it again, as the muscle heals from the tear, but he should have no lingering limp after that."

Hana left after that, closing the door a little behind her and leaving Naruto and Riri alone in the stark white room. Naruto stood again and sat carefully next to Riri's head and pulled it up and into his lap. Ririshii licked his lips a bit but merely stayed asleep and quiet in Naruto's lap. Naruto began to pet him gently and all of his grand ideas of finding Lee and eavesdropping went out the window.

They probably did not need him causing a distraction and really he believed what he said to Gai-sensei. Lee would not accept such a diagnosis and would continue to just train himself into the ground as soon as they let him out of the hospital. Lee was not finished, not by a long shot.

The silence back in the rooms was deceiving he was sure. By now another match had to have started because there really were only two or so left. He had lost count and he was not all that worried now that it was finished. Sure he felt bad not watching or supporting Choji but with the available candidates the only way Choji would win would be if he drew Hinata and that too would be iffy. Choji like Hinata, they all did, but Hinata was also too shy and somewhat hesitant to fight anyone.

Instead he stayed with Ririshii and allowed himself to relax for once since this whole thing started. After a while he felt Riri's head shift in his lap and smiled as the shepherd woke and yawned. He did not have much time to celebrate the fact because Sakura opened the door and came in.

"All the rounds are done; they want you guys in there." Sakura looked worried. "Sensei sent me to get you."

"Oh." He stood, giving Riri a small pat on the head. The shepherd still seemed groggy and slightly confused. "Hey you mind staying with Riri a minute? He just woke up."

Sakura smiled and nodded, taking up Naruto's spot and Riri nuzzled into her lap as well. "Here's hoping I don't get sand freak."

He heard Sakura agree and he rushed back to the arena floor. He was ushered out to the floor and in line with the others. There were eight of them left not counting Sasuke. Hayate stood just in front of the Hokage and Anko stood to the old man's right.

"Congratulations to those of you that have advanced to the third round."

"For a second time." Shikamaru huffed quietly as Naruto came up beside him. He noted that of Shikamaru's team, Shikamaru was the only one left. Choji must have lost which was sad.

"Now then, I can go on about explaining the third portion of the exam." The Hokage tipped his hat forward a bit, smirking beneath its rim. "The third round is a lot like these preliminaries; each of you will put your battle skills on display. Accordingly the third exam will be held one month from now."

"Wha… We're not going to do it here and now?"

"This is to provide a suitable time for preparation and to allow us time to send the results of the preliminaries to the respective countries. The third exam is operated on the premise that you would be facing an unknown opponent. However, that is not the case as you have all seen each other's work. You will be encouraged to use this month to improve your skills and learn some new tricks."

Anko moved with a box out in front of her and stood right in front of the Sound Ninja that made it through the finals.

"Each one of you will pick a number."

They all did as they were told and revealed the numbers they had gotten. Naruto grinned and pointed to Shikamaru, the happy number one on his sheet. Shikamaru merely rolled his eyes at him. Ibiki was nearby recording all the numbers and finally turned the board to reveal the set up. It was a tournament style bracket with each number corresponding with a spot on the board.

Naruto swallowed hard when he saw the name next to his own. It was Hyuuga Neji; Lee's teammate and a member of the Hyuuga clan.

"Oh bad luck on that one." Shikamaru muttered lowly and leaned over until he was close to Naruto's ear. "You should have just seen what he did to Hinata."

Naruto glared over to Shikamaru then back to Neji, who did not appear hurt or all together roughed up. Hinata would not hurt someone from her own clan so what did he do to her? She was not standing with Kurenai or anywhere else in the vicinity.

"I encourage you all to also rest." The Hokage was turning away and being followed by ANBU black ops. "In one month, we will see how you have all improved."

Naruto watched him go and slowly the remaining ninja began to disperse from the tower. The Sand Ninja were the first to go and quite quickly. Shikamaru waved and met back up with Asuma and his team.

Naruto looked up to find Kakashi but the older man was gone. All that was left was to retrieve Ririshii and wait for Kakashi to get home. He probably went to check on Sasuke, that was all. Anyway he had to get home and start working on a plan. He had a month to get ready to face someone with a bloodline limit.

He was not about to let Lee down.

* * *

Ririshii yawned and stretched carefully beside Naruto. Upon being shown the way out of the tower and back to the village, Sakura, Ririshii and he had left as quickly as they could. Sakura had given him a big smile, waved and told him if he needed someone to help him for the finals she would try her best to do whatever she could.

Naruto had thanked her and he and Ririshii limped, literally, home. Hana had told him Ririshii would need a few weeks to heal the gash in his leg and he could see Ririshii was having trouble moving the leg without discomfort. Once they were home, the dog curled up at the edge of the bed and Naruto landed rather heavily above him.

There were about a half of dozen things he **should** be doing but he was not. He was too worried at the moment. There was Sasuke, Lee, and Riri and just about everything else going on that prevented him from studying and trying to figure out a way to get stronger in a month.

The later it got the worry about Sasuke amplified. If Kakashi had gone to check on his fellow teammate he was taking a long time about it. What if that weird seal mark had gotten out of hand? When the window finally opened he hopped up and rushed out to accuse Kakashi of being lazy.

But instead of Kakashi's familiar spikes it was another silver-haired person standing in the room. He smiled up at Naruto with an almost feral glint in his eyes as he climbed the rest of the way in and stood. It was the other Leaf Genin from the exam…Naruto forgot his name already but he knew he was out of place.

"Hey! What the hell?" he pointed wildly at the glasses-wearing Genin who just stood there with an odd smirk on his face. "Get lost buddy, this isn't your house."

"No it's Kakashi's isn't it." He took a step forward and Naruto snarled. The commotion roused Ririshii but the Shepherd was in no shape to help. "How odd that you're here isn't it?"

"I'm keepin an eye on it now get lost buddy."

Without warning the silver-haired boy launched forward and Naruto found himself ducking out of the way of an oddly curved kunai aimed straight for him. He rolled out of the way, stopping only when he hit the counters of the kitchen and looked up in shock as the Leaf Genin came swinging at him, his aim deadly accurate.

Naruto cursed his lack of weapons, they were tucked away in a corner in his room now, and the fact that he was only in shorts and a t-shirt, not his usual gear. He was home, he thought the exams were over but now he was beginning to wonder and curse his lack of preparation.

He reached up and punched the offender in the jaw, just as he ducked under his outstretched arm but bit down a loud curse when the curved kunai came flying back, the arm retracted, and the odd shape of the weapon allowed it to tear through his upper arm.

Kabuto! That was the other boy's name but little good that did for him when said man was coming at him with the intent to injure if not kill. He kept up his dodging and tried to find a suitable weapon or a reason to lure Kabuto towards his room, but knew that it was much too cramped and small for that room to be an option.

"Too bad Naruto." The boy snarled as he finally dug the weapon just below his collarbone and trapped him up against a nearby wall. Naruto snarled and reached up to grab hold of his arm but found his one arm was not raising as well as he wanted it to. "You have too much influence on Sasuke; we can't have that now can we?"

"_Fuck!" _Naruto panicked slightly. Kabuto had entered as a Leaf Genin but his words, his meanings; he had to work for the snake. "You're one of Orochimaru's aren't you?"

"Hehe, quite quick to figure that out aren't you? Don't worry this will be over quickly and then Sasuke can pursue his dream of killing his brother, if Orochimaru doesn't kill him first."

Naruto struggled to get free, seeing an odd glow around the boy's hand that reminded him of the medical ninja he hated. It held no warmth, no green comfort, it was more blue than that and he was pretty sure that he was not about to fix whatever it was he just did to Naruto.

Just before the hand snapped out towards his gut, Naruto pushed against the wall and unbalanced Kabuto and kicked out. Kabuto was forced to rebalance himself and he snarled as he lunged at Naruto again. This time, however, he was forced to duck and dodge himself as another attacker entered the equation.

"_Kakashi." _Naruto mentally sighed as he slid down the wall, grateful that Kakashi had finally found his way back.

The silver-haired man was much faster and his kicks were better aimed as Kabuto was forced back and towards the windows again. Kakashi finally trapped him in a corner near the windows and Kakashi looked livid and about to murder the intruder.

"I would have thought you would have targeted Sasuke." Kakashi snarled his red eye boring holes through Kabuto.

"Heh, well we would have before that impressive display in the forest." Kabuto pushed his glasses back up on his nose and grinned over at Naruto. "We can't afford to have him interfering."

Naruto shuddered a bit and frowned. He really did not think he did that well in the forest. But both the snake and his underling had brought up the fact that he had displayed something.

"But it would appear I have lost my advantage." Kabuto grinned and suddenly slumped forward to the floor. For a moment neither Naruto nor Kakashi moved as the body lay motionless on their floor.

Suddenly Kakashi cursed and went to the open window and looked down. Apparently something was outside because he cursed more and slammed his palm against the wood between the windows. He glared down at the body on the floor and snarled. "A Dead Soul Jutsu."

"You mean that guy is…he's…"

Kakashi only nodded and summoned Pakkun. The dog glanced at Naruto before looking up to Kakashi. "I need you to report to the Hokage, tell him Yakushi Kabuto seems to be working with Orochimaru; he'll know what to do."

"Orochimaru? What is going on here Kakashi? Didn't he leave?"

"Just go Pakkun." Kakashi waved and Pakkun nodded and shot off. Kakashi again inspected the body now in their apartment living room and sighed. "Damn it."

"What is going on Nii-san?" Naruto winced as he moved his shoulder too much and a fresh wave of warm blood oozed out and down his skin.

"I wish I knew." Kakashi sighed heavily and peered up at him. "You're hurt."

"It should be fine." Naruto looked to his shoulder, the red blood soaking through his t-shirt and creating a garish looking spot on one of his favorites. He winced when Kakashi's hand pulled the soaked section of shirt away and peered down at the wound. "He had a weird Kunai."

"Curved yes?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Medics prefer curved blades for multiple purposes and he was raised by the Chief of the Medical Core." Kakashi let his shirt go and knelt down in front of him. "Naruto, you know what they want don't you?"

"Sasuke."

"So then why was he here?"

"He said I had too much of an influence on Sasuke. I don't know why he said that, but that's what he said."

Kakashi seemed to consider the words carefully then nodded. "This is turning into a nightmare."

"Just who is he nii-san? This Orochimaru guy? I mean you called him a Sannin but why in the world would he attack his own village? Why is he after Sasuke?"

"Orochimaru was a student of mine."

Naruto looked up as the Hokage and several others entered the apartment by way of the door. The Hokage looked grim as he approached the body on the floor, the one that still looked like Kabuto. The two ANBU with him picked the body up and then were gone, leaving only the Hokage, Anko, Kakashi and himself.

"He was a student who went bad without my being able to notice." The Hokage turned and approached where Kakashi was crouched and Naruto sat. Behind Kakashi Anko seemed to be going between Naruto and Kakashi with a look of shock on her face. "He decided to leave many years ago when I decided to choose Minato instead of him as my successor."

"You're leaving out quite a lot there." Anko recovered enough to cross her arms and glare at the Hokage. "He's a sadistic man, obsessed with his own immortality and he will do everything in his power to obtain those who 'interest' him."

"Anko." The Third barked at her and she silenced immediately. "And it would appear not only Sasuke has garnered his interest."

"He claimed Naruto was too much of an influence on Sasuke." Kakashi repeated what Naruto had told him.

"Did he now?" The Third smiled a bit at Naruto and then took a long puff on his pipe. "That would explain why he sent Kabuto to end the influence, however, we are on to them now. They can make no other moves without exposing more of their network within our village."

"Great so now that freak is after me too?" Naruto snarled and reached up to grip at his shoulder. He felt like he was just thrown neck deep in a sea of rough waters and he was having a hard time keeping his head above water. "Just great….."

"I believe he will return his focus to Sasuke now, Naruto." The Third patted his head and frowned at his shoulder. "After all Sasuke would be the easier target. He is alone, he has his goal in mind, and Orochimaru has already given him a taste. You are an afterthought he merely wanted to test. Unfortunately for his pawn Kakashi looks out for you."

Naruto frowned down at his feet. That did not seem right. Sure it was a relief to think that the Sannin would no longer target him but Sasuke? What was stopping them from going after him?

"Another reason to lock the kid up." Anko was frowning as well. "We can keep him under control and keep him away from Orochimaru."

"I wonder how many people wanted to do the same thing to you Anko." Kakashi stood and glared over at her, receiving a glare in kind. "Some still might like the idea, in all honesty."

"Alright, alright, enough." The third was beginning to reprimand Anko. Naruto could not focus on it really either because his shoulder really hurt or because he was too focused on the Hokage's words.

"_Because he is alone…" _

"At any rate we need to be careful. He can disguise himself as he wishes."

"Yes sir." Both Kakashi and Anko replied and the Hokage went about leaving. Anko watched him go then glared back at Kakashi and Naruto.

"So the little ass lives here does he?"

"Anko…"

"I should have known it was you Kakashi." Anko pointed at him and began waving her finger around. "He obviously wasn't living alone because he's too well fed and he doesn't look like he's a typical orphan."

"Heh, what you got a thing for him Anko? Jealous?" Naruto found himself purring up jokingly and still smiled when Kakashi stopped her from pinning him up against the wall. "Oh woops wasn't suppose to say that out loud was I?"

"Naruto." Kakashi was reaching up to rub at his nose and it was his warning. Kakashi was already tired from the day and Naruto found it fitting to listen this time and raised his hand in surrender.

Anko finally backed away and raised her hands the same way. She returned to frowning and crossed her arms in front of her as she leaned against their couch. "So he said you had too much influence on Sasuke huh?"

"How many times we gonna bring that up?"

"Naruto…"

"It means you can stop it." Anko growled at him and her gray eyes and his blue ones locked. "It means for whatever reason Sasuke listens to you. So you better wise up, fella."

Naruto hung his head and nodded. He got that but he did not know why everyone thought that. Sasuke always seemed to be pissed off or jealous of him. Why would he listen to Naruto when Naruto would only tell him to give up his ambition of killing his brother?

"At any rate you better be prepared. Bets are he's gonna start lashing out." Anko continued, straightening up and heading for the door. "And he's going to push you, and he will want to fight you. You better be ready you little punk."

Naruto watched her go and sighed after it was quiet again. Things were getting way too out of hand. Too many players were involved and too many contingencies. He was going to have a stroke trying to keep everything straight in his head.

"I wouldn't blame you, you know." Kakashi finally sighed as well and stuck his hands in his pockets. "If you wanted to back out. You three have been Genin for only a few months and this is what you are dealing with. It's not a pretty thing, the life of a ninja…"

"It's all I got though." Naruto shrugged and stood up, using the wall as a prop. "Anyway, I gotta dream to fulfill. I'm not letting some whack job screw that up. And I'm not letting anyone hurt Sasuke."

Kakashi merely laughed quietly as Naruto got upright and felt the familiar tinge at his shoulder as skin melded back together. Naruto grinned at him and silently was thankful for the open door. Kakashi did not want to see him hurt really, but he knew just as well as Naruto did this was in his blood now. He was never giving this up, and neither was Kakashi.

* * *

**Author Note x2: **Holds onto the little plot bunny and grins. Oh Hi…how you doing. Yay for the rest of the prelims finally being out of the way. Hugs the bunny. Guess what's next??????? JIRAIYA!!!!!!! Yeah I skipped a lot more fights but they remained the same and the outcomes, eh the same. Yeah, Kabuto reappeared......hehehehheheheheheh how you like them apples! I always thought, why in the world would he go after Sasuke if Orochimaru says "We need to separate him from the nine tails as soon as possible." I mean he certainly wasn't trying to KILL Sasuke in the original....so hehehe off off and away. FAVORITE CHARACTER (well besides Naruto and Kakashi) is about to come up. GOD I LOVE THAT SANNIN!!


	15. Pomp and Circumstance

**The Fox and the Hound**

**Chapter 12:** Pomp and Circumstance

**Chapter Summary: **Naruto now has a month to prepare for the third portion of the final exams. With all the events preceding he has too many goals and not enough time, but perhaps he can find a way to both beat Neji and protect his team from the Sannin, Orochimaru.

**Author's Note: ***evil giggling can be heard over the clacking sounds of keys* Soooooooo. That Last chapter was awesome… so awesome that it spawned another missing moment…. One that is both sweet and awesome and dear lord I need a good place in which to use it. AND GOD IT IS PAINFUL, because the most logical place to put it isn't till a few chapters from now…. … … … But it's just begging me…. Looking at me with those words saying USE ME!!!

Anyway, onto the Month of rest chapter…so to speak ;) Our dearest and most beloved Jiraiya will finally be making his appearance XD *happy dance* If there is one character that is a joy to write Jiraiya is it. Naruto and Kakashi are right up there but… well my first foray into the Naruto Fandom was In Memory and it was pretty much based around Jiraiya and all that so; we all know who I love best.

P.S. this chapter may finally earn me an M rating for this story XD HAHAHAHAHA jk jk

* * *

The silent morning hours were so very deceptive. It was so easy just to close his one eye, pretend that Naruto was still a small child, and absolutely none of this was happening. Rituals were also very deceptive. It was just like all the other mornings they had whenever he was home.

The blonde sat across from him, eating silently with half-lidded eyes. Ririshii lay at Naruto's feet and had finished his own breakfast in one fell swoop. In another reality Kakashi should be proud of how well all of his Genin had performed but instead all he felt was this deep uneasiness settling in his gut.

There was no way, if push came to shove, that Kakashi could keep Orochimaru from either boy. There was a reason the three Sannin were called as such and despite how long he had been at this game, and how hard he trained, there was just a level he was not going to obtain. And that uneasiness stemmed straight from that fact alone.

But it branched off as well. He had not prepared for any of the three to advance this far and two of them were now in the final set. One had a curse mark marred into his skin and the other was pitted against one of Konoha's blood line families.

Two students, one of him, and a real need from both of those students to have someone give them one-on-one training.

It was causing a real conflict. He had chided Gai in the tower about his personal attachment to Lee; he had been livid at just how recklessly Gai had put Lee's life in danger despite Lee not being his student or his responsibility. Still it had unnerved him and he knew why. He was just as emotionally attached to Naruto despite trying as hard as he could to stay the model Shinobi.

He would have to pick one. It was easier for the other Jounin of the Leaf as they all only had one student make it through to the finals. Kakashi had to choose. And sadly he already knew who it had to be and he was not too sure it was going to go over all too well.

Naruto was on the move before Kakashi even really noticed it. The blonde had his own morning rituals and was conducting them as if nothing was wrong. Riri stayed put on the floor, his bandaged leg resting out at an odd angle from his body.

Kakashi decided to do what he should be doing and finished cleaning up around the kitchen and then started to double check all the supplies he had gathered yesterday. He had already found a suitable training ground that no one would need for the next month and had made the right preparations and all that was left now was that choice.

"So you're training Sasuke right?"

Naruto's voice came from behind and Kakashi turned a careful eye on the blonde. He was leaning in the doorway watching Kakashi double check things and smirked a little when Kakashi eyed him curiously.

"Naruto…."

"I really think you should take Sasuke." Naruto interrupted him and shrugged when Kakashi raised his eyebrow in question.

It was a big surprise to hear Naruto saying that. He would have assumed some sense of betrayal for Kakashi choosing Sasuke over him. He would have at least guessed that Naruto would assume that Kakashi would be training them jointly. Instead Naruto was giving him _permission_ to go ahead with Sasuke.

"I must say this is a surprise…" Kakashi whispered a bit and saw Naruto look away for a second. "Why so sure?"

"Because obviously he needs somebody more than I do. What happens if they go after him? He doesn't have anyone…"

"And what if they happen to go after _**you.**_" Kakashi turned around fully and crossed his arms in front of his chest and waited to see Naruto's thought process. It was the other reason he felt guilty about this choice. There was a fifty-fifty chance that Orochimaru or his 'pets' would target either one and if he focused entirely on one or the other the other would be unprotected.

"I think they want Sasuke more than they want me." Naruto replied, steady blue eyes locking in with Kakashi's own exposed eye. "Anyway, you've got that Sharingan and so does Sasuke. Who else could teach him stuff about that? I can just as easily start raiding the library again for more Sealing books."

"They have checkout processes you know, you don't have to steal."

"Heh. More fun to just lift em." Naruto took a flying leap and landed on Kakashi's bed, poking his nose into the bags and apparently making his own check. "So you camping out?"

"That was the plan, yes." Kakashi took the bag Naruto had in his hands and began to tie it up securely. "Since you seem so open to this, I suppose you have a constructive way to spend the month already?"

"Not really. I'm gonna wing it."

Kakashi chuckled and shook his head. He should have seen that coming. "I would suggest you focus on your stamina and your control, at least a little bit."

"And how would you suggest I do that." Naruto stuck his tongue out at him and lay back on the bed heavily.

"Hmmm." Kakashi pretended to think it over for a moment while watching the blonde stretch. "What sticks out to you from the first time we faced Zabuza?"

"Besides the fact that he caught you??"

"Very funny."

Naruto laughed but then began to seriously mull the question over. Ever so slowly he started to see the blue eyes start to perk up and Naruto's fidgeting began to still. "Water…you both stood on the water."

"Very good. The principle is the same as the tree…"

"Except that the water is fluid and always moving." Naruto bolted straight and glanced out the window, a wild look in his eye. "Meaning you have to…."

"Good Luck!" Kakashi took the remaining bag away from Naruto who was now merely talking to himself as the points connected together in his mind. "And I'll see you in a month."

He quietly smiled as he slipped out of the apartment and onto the streets, heading for the Uchiha district. He was very glad that Naruto was slowly becoming freer with his thought. He had an intelligence about him it just seemed that the kid talked himself out of it every chance he got. Though he still felt guilty over choosing one student over another it felt better to leave Naruto to his own devices rather than try to arrange someone else to take him in.

Of course that might be because of some small amount of possessiveness as well.

The streets in the Uchiha district were empty, as always, and he frowned as he finally hit 'their' portion of the village. Despite it being only Sasuke left in the compound no one had dared to touch any of the buildings or tried to move into what once were purely Uchiha residents. Some of the buildings were severely lacking in upkeep and some looked just as they had when this was the busier side of the village.

One home in particular he always kept an eye to. He had been there plenty enough times to retrieve his teammate so it was no wonder, but no one was there anymore. It was just an empty shell of a house like all of the rest.

Kakashi shoved the thought away and made his way to the lone residence that still had a resident in it.

Sasuke sat outside, his hands up in the usual manner as he sat on the front step of his home. He had some bags with him and looked ready to go from all outward appearances. Kakashi smirked as he approached.

He was exactly one hour and forty-five minutes later than what he told Sasuke. Dark onyx eyes peered up at him over steepled fingers and Kakashi responded in kind by raising his hand and giving the usual greeting.

"Yo."

Sasuke merely frowned up at him.

"Ready to go then?"

"Sure." Sasuke stood fluidly and hefted up the two bags he had packed. "We're honestly going to spend a month out in a training ground?"

Kakashi began leading the way not giving Sasuke much of a choice. Sasuke did not falter and was soon matching his pace and shooting glares in Kakashi's general direction.

"You're not going to answer me are you?"

"Yes Sasuke, we are." Kakashi sighed and eyed the Uchiha. He was like a lot of the other Uchiha he had met before through Obito. He was arrogant and pushy and he felt entitled. It was of little wonder now that Orochimaru had picked up on that and planned to use it to gain the boy.

But Kabuto's words gave him hope. Kabuto believed wholly that Naruto was too much of an influence over Sasuke. It meant that maybe; just maybe, Naruto was doing what he did best; changing people. The blonde had a way to worm his way into your mind and he stuck there. Perhaps this was no different and Sasuke valued Naruto enough to not betray him…

It was the hope anyway.

"Can I ask why?"

"Oh come on, it'll be fun." Kakashi chuckled as he went about his way. Sasuke merely grumbled at that prospect and Kakashi half expected him to accuse him of sabotaging his training for this month. After all, Naruto was not the only one with a hard opponent; Sasuke had been given a number by default and been unlucky enough to draw the Sand Ninja who could manipulate the sand so effortlessly.

Lee had already displayed one good tactic against the Sand Ninja: Speed. If Sasuke could become fast enough, he would have the first advantage over that defense. So that was their first order of business; working on speeding up the boy's attacks. Not all together a hard thing to do, so he had been racking his brain over what else would work and inadvertently given himself the last reason to choose Sasuke over Naruto.

Earth was weak against Lightning. And he certainly had enough experience with that to be able to add to Sasuke's arsenal, which preferred Fire that could be nullified by Earth.

"Not only fun but all of the finalists are still in Konoha." Kakashi turned on Sasuke as they neared some of the more tucked away fields; the ones usually reserved for ANBU or the Hokage's personal guard. "If we merely go back to our homes every night it will give them the opening to track you and then garner information about you and your training."

Sasuke took a look around them, dark eyes taking in all of the details around him. He knew where he was in the village and probably even knew these particular grounds; his family did do the upkeep and patrols around this area enough to know.

"Aren't these restricted areas?"

"Hmm? Oh, they're ANBU's training grounds."

"So why are we here?"

"I was once in ANBU, I can still reserve this area if I want."

"You were in ANBU? You??" Sasuke's face dropped the serious tones it had taken on since the start of the exams and he looked absolutely shocked by the prospect.

"Yes." Kakashi merely nodded and hopped over the gate easily.

"But…you couldn't have been." Sasuke followed him over and rushed to catch up to Kakashi. Like Naruto; Sasuke did not like the idea of being left behind. "You aren't that old. You had to be a kid…"

"Yes."

Sasuke's eyebrow shot up and he gaped at Kakashi like a fish. Kakashi merely laughed, reached over and ruffled his hair and sped up his pace to get away from the kid. "Genius has different levels you know!"

Sasuke growled and straightened his hair. "You've got to be kidding me. You can hardly show up to our meetings on time. You're too lazy…"

"Lazy?" Kakashi quirked an eyebrow and finally stopped out in the middle of a large swatch of grass. Sasuke stopped and instantly dropped his bags and Kakashi could almost see his hand twitch towards his kunai holster. "Guess I have been working you three a little too softly, if you think I'm lazy…"

That sparked an interested look. Kakashi dropped his own supplies and stalked over to the kid who tensed and got ready. Kakashi merely patted him on the head and then grinned wickedly pointing over to a nearby rock face. "Perhaps we'll see who can get to the top of that hill over there…."

"That's not too …."

"Using one hand."

Kakashi chuckled as Sasuke's face went blank as he stared again at the rocky wall just to the south of them. Sasuke would soon start telling him it was impossible and that he was joking but Kakashi was dead serious. He had the rope, and had done so in the past. This was not only a training excursion for the boy; it was one for him as well.

After the incident in the tunnels with Orochimaru, he was certain they all had to be ready, not just Sasuke. It seemed unfathomable that Orochimaru would go to all this trouble for a measly puppet, even if that puppet had the Sharingan eye. The Sannin had to be up to something more than that and they had to be prepared for anything.

* * *

Naruto came flying up out of the water like someone had shocked him. And of course the water HAD shocked him. Why he had chosen the bathhouses and the water around them to train, he was uncertain. He had plenty of other choices but he wanted to stay in the village.

And the bathhouses were the closest to his house and they were not through some rough terrain like the other sources of water were. Ririshii insisted on coming along and trying to learn this particular skill as well. Naruto protested at first but Riri pointed out that Hana, the day after the end of the preliminaries had sent him word of something she had forgotten. Riri was supposed to move the leg otherwise the leg would be stiff and unusable by the time the bandages came off and he would spend even more time trying to recuperate.

Nearby Riri lay beneath a tree, slightly damp still and panting heavily beneath the shady spot. Just like Naruto, he was having a bit of trouble applying this new twist on an old lesson.

Naruto scampered up the sides of the channels, created around the hot springs to help villagers walk around and through the water without becoming wet. He snarled at the water as if it were a creature and took off his long jacket and wrung out the sleeves.

He was wet and heavy, and he seemed to be getting nowhere on this particular training. He had hurried out here after Kakashi had left the apartment, **hoping** to find he could easily walk on water just like a tree and then go about fishing up something else to entertain him for the month. However, both he and Ririshii were wet and failing.

The dog had quit a few moments ago, the heat from the water finally overheating him and the only way to cool off was to pant and rest away from the sun and the hot waters. Naruto knew he was still there and watching but to all outward audiences it just looked like he was repeatedly walking himself straight into the water on purpose.

There had been some whispers and some pointed him out but there really had not been that many incidents and they could not have been the problem. At first he was sure it was merely his control issues resurfacing again but the longer he worked at it, the more frustrated he became.

Of course his distraction could be blamed on the low, muttering and chuckling coming from nearby. At some point that afternoon an older man had come strutting around and then positioned himself around the bathhouses. He was doing nothing more than sitting there but after a while he became vocal and after the falling in for the hundredth time Naruto finally turned his frustration on the old man sitting at the wall behind the bathhouses.

He stalked up the other side of the canal and locked in on his target. He was older, that was clear from his stark white hair, and he was dressed oddly. He wore loose fitting pants, odd shoes and a red overcoat and behind him was a large parchment scroll. He looked like a traveling artist save that Naruto could catch glimpses of the chain mail beneath the folds of fine fabric.

The man was perched at a small hole that had not been in the wall that afternoon when Naruto first arrived. Naruto could easily assume that the man had put it there and he could assume what for. Was Konoha the local meeting place for all the perverts in Fire Country? It certainly was starting to seem like it.

Naruto quietly got up and stood behind the man for several minutes to see if any recognition or dawning occurred but the man continued to drool and peep through his hole. Naruto shook his head sadly, taking a deep breath, and then spoke out as loud as he could without yelling.

"Hey Mister! What are you looking at?!"

Naruto was rewarded with a chorus of women's voices all screaming and the sound of water being dispersed as they fled the compromised bathhouse. The old man went flying up and began sputtering and prancing around the hole as if his antics would stop the women from fleeing. He was quick to regain his composure though and turned on Naruto.

"Do you have any idea what you just did?"

"Yeah, I just caught a peeping tom." Naruto replied quiet seriously and folded his arms in front of him. Again the man seemed to sputter and gape at Naruto like he was insane. He merely stood his ground and waited to see if the man was going to clear out or not.

"Do you have any idea who I am?"

"The peeping tom?" Naruto shrugged and furrowed his eyebrows. This guy was just plain oblivious!

"Why you little…." The man almost made a grabbing motion for him but stopped, took a breath and then struck a pose that would rival even Gai's best maneuvers. "I am Jiraiya the Gallant, Toad Sage and…"

"I think you don't know the meaning of the word 'gallant'." Naruto interrupted and the man deflated and began muttering something under his breath. Naruto also sighed and looked back to see if Riri was awake or ready to move, it did not appear the old man was going to move on and out of the area…

Suddenly something popped into his head, in the form of an orange cover and he turned a wary eye back on the man in question. "Jiraiya?"

"Huh…Oh finally starting to remember…." The man seemed to smile a little, relieved his reputation was still intact.

"You're that guy who writes those books."

"Aren't you a little young to be…"

"As if you Sicko!!" Naruto yelped and pointed wildly up at the pervert. "Kakashi just reads those stupid things and hates if you touch em. I didn't actually read them, they're nothing but junk."

"_No wonder though…a perv writing perv books." _Naruto thought quietly to himself as he decided to try to walk back over to Riri.

Within a blink of an eye the man was in front of him, stopping his retreat and he looked livid. Naruto snickered a little, surprised that the imposing man could move so fast with his height, weight and those ridiculous shoes he was wearing.

"Junk!? How dare you call such masterpieces 'junk'." The man reached out with a covered hand and poked him straight in the chest. "How's a runt like you know Kakashi?"

"How's it any of your business?" Naruto snarled back. "I just wanted you out of here so I could train without having to listen to you gape over the girls…you perv."

The man continued to block his path and Naruto snarled up at him. What was it with this guy? Why was he being so determined about him warning the innocent women who were at the bath house? It was not like he called on the authorities or told the Third about him.

"Got a mouth on you, that's for sure." Jiraiya crossed his arms and frowned at Naruto. "Not even a tiny bit interested about who I said I was…Kids these days."

Naruto finally managed to shove past the white-haired man and went about his way. He did not realize until he was about half way across that he was actually walking on the water this time. Of course his distraction sent him back down in a large splash. He came up for air and sputtered for a moment, muttering every curse word he presently knew.

Before he could start going towards the side of the canal he wanted to be on he took notice of the red sandals just near his head. He glared up at the older man, standing perfectly above him, atop the water, smirking.

"I noticed you were having a little trouble."

"Bastard." Naruto snarled and went about swimming over to the edge he had started on. When he got on the other side he huffed and went about dripping all over while he gathered up his things. Naruto was not in the least bit curious about who the guy was but the man certainly seemed interested in who HE was. That put Naruto on edge and he decided to get the hell out of dodge before 'Jiraiya' decided he wanted to have a little fun with the 'demon fox'.

Instead he was again stopped by the imposing man who was still grinning.

"Man of my caliber can do that in his sleep. You almost seem to have it."

"Yeah, but a man of your _caliber_ usually wants something in return." Naruto frowned and shook his head. "If the deal seems too good it probably is."

"Then don't call it a deal. Call it curiosity." Jiraiya now had a gleam in his eye as they stared at one another.

"Curiosity kills the cat."

The man swung around to find another Naruto with a kunai pointed at his back, just above his waist. Naruto stood and smiled knowing it was Ririshii in a henge. The dog must have caught wind of what was going on and had gone about duplicating what he had learned from Kiba and Akamaru. So far Ririshii was only having a little trouble with the technique and there was one major flaw at the present moment….

"Nice try Kid, but your henge's eyes are brown. Yours are blue."

"Who says I'm the real one?" Naruto grinned back proudly, sure that this tactic would confuse the elder man and Riri and he could slip away.

The man continued to ignore Ririshii and humphed. "I know for a fact that your eyes are blue."

Naruto blinked in shock for a moment, whipping out a kunai before he knew what he was doing. How in the world did this many know so certainly about his eye color? Except of course the obvious….

"Anyway, word around town is you have a talent for shadow clones. A really good trump card to have but one you're known for."

"Who said I'm a shadow clone." Ririshii growled as he let up the henge and took a flying leap for Jiraiya, missing as the older man neatly stepped out of the way. Riri yelped as he landed and Naruto quickly put himself between the man and the dog.

Instead of being threatened Jiraiya began to chuckle a bit. "Well color me surprised; a talking mutt instead of a clone. Okay Kid, you pulled one over on a Sannin. That deserves a bit of reward."

"_Damn it! Another one of the Sannin? Why is he here? Why is he being so persistent about this? Is he working with Orochimaru? Did all of the Sannin leave Konoha? Why didn't I ask Kakashi this!!!" _

Naruto's mind began panicking but he tried hard to remain impassive and on guard. "I'm not stupid, you know. Seems to me you know too much…."

Jiraiya seemed slightly taken aback by his sudden change in tone. The white-haired man blinked down in surprise at first but slowly relaxed into a curious stance as he stood in the way of Naruto's surest escape route. Ririshii began to hunker down lower behind him, baring white teeth at the intruder.

"Maybe Kakashi told me all those things."

"Liar." Naruto found himself snarling and tossing the kunai he held. He followed after it, pulling out another, hoping to unbalance the older, more experienced man enough to make a clean get away. "Kakashi-sensei would never do that. He wouldn't ever…."

He never saw the man move. Soon he found himself face first into the dirt, a large hand against the back of his head and his own kunai being pressed up against his own side. The older man was in a crouching position above him keeping him locked up and pinned down, while a rather amusing toad stood behind him and blocked Ririshii.

"For starters, nice try. Secondly, think about it, Kid." Jiraiya smirked cockily as he kept Naruto pinned to the ground. Something about the man's tone of voice had become quieter and a tad more soothing. "He has all my books doesn't he?"

"He has tons of books, those are just his favorites. " Naruto snarled and found the dust on the ground puffing out around him. "He doesn't know all those authors now does he?"

"Hmm good point. The kid was always a bookworm." Jiraiya let the hand with the kunai come up and he rubbed at his chin carefully around the weapon. He was still smiling and not in a crazy way, almost like a fond way. "Anyway, I send the brat copies because he was the student of my favorite student!"

"He was the Yondaime's student." Naruto frowned but began calculating in his head. How could he prove that was the case? He had to admit to falling asleep when history came into play in class. He had no way of knowing for sure…

"_The Yondaime Hokage was a seal master, taught by one of the legendary Sannin's." _

Well that was a start…at least it was a source he trusted better than the man above him. Kakashi would not lie and so far Naruto was very certain that the Fourth was not trained by Orochimaru. That left two other Sannin, and it was a fifty-fifty chance this guy was the one.

"That's right!! My best work if you ask me!"

Naruto closed his eyes and sighed heavily. The Fourth was trained by a perv? He found the man getting off of him and letting him up. The toad still remained to block Ririshii but Naruto could sit up and as soon as he did he reached up to rub at his nose, which caused the older man to laugh loudly. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Ready to talk reason then? Or do you want to try coming at me some more?"

"I guess." Naruto relented and in a puff the toad disappeared and Ririshii came to him instantly. He could see the curious look upon the man's face as it happened but it was quickly replaced by a look of sheer mischief.

"About your little problem." He pointed to Naruto's feet and Naruto glanced at them. "You're too focused on your feet. Seems to me you're sending it to one particular point, like you would when climbing a tree."

Naruto frowned despite knowing that the man had a point. He had been all focused on his feet. "And?"

"And…" he chuckled and pointed to the water. "If you stop thinking so hard and just go to do it, you will. You were doing well enough when you were trying to get away, until you realized what you were doing that is."

Naruto glanced down at Ririshii who gave a shrug of his shoulder. Naruto stood and stalked over to the water, still a little pissed that this old man had shoved him in the dirt. He had to be insane to think that all it was holding him back was a matter of focus. He began walking backwards, just so he could flip the old guy off as soon as he started falling in again but it never happened.

Slowly he looked down at his feet and found he was indeed standing on the water. His eyes darted back up quickly and he put his mind back on the guy in front of him who was smirking proudly. He started to slowly make his way back onto dry land and stared at his feet the whole time not sure what had just happened.

"You're body knows how to regulate its chakra. If you merely direct it, it will figure out the flow needed. Tree climbing is more of a concentrated effort because you are defying gravity. You're still doing the same but you don't need as much force to keep yourself afloat."

"Okay wise guy." Naruto sighed and sat cross legged by the water. "Then why is Riri having such a hard time with it?"

Jiraiya seemed to blink then looked over at the dog. He pointed down at the animal in question and Naruto nodded. "Well hell if I know Kid, he's a dog."

"Bastard." Ririshii growled a little under his breath. "I can understand you, you know."

"Well that is a surprise too, trust me." Jiraiya snorted and then pointed towards the water like he had with Naruto. "Well go on, I did not know you were with him before. You were too busy sleeping or chasing some cat for all I know."

Ririshii snapped at the man's clothing a bit as he passed him but proceeded to stalk over, his head down, ears low and body tense, to the water's edge. Much like Naruto he made it only a few feet before losing whatever equilibrium he had and plunging in.

The older man moved to be closer to them both as Ririshii drug himself out of the steaming water. "Well, what do we have here?"

Naruto watched in great interest as the man seemed to be prodding and poking Ririshii around his stomach; right where Orochimaru had hit him with the odd hand sign in the Forest of Death. He parted the fur and gave the dog a warning look when Ririshii began to growl. He kept poking and running his hand over the skin beneath the fur.

"Stick yourself to the ground you mutt."

"I'm not a mu…"

"Just do it."

Ririshii snarled but sent chakra to his paws and just continued to snarl in Jiraiya's general direction. Jiraiya sat back; steadying on the odd shoes made of wood, and began rubbing at his chin again.

"I had no idea that would work on an animal, how interesting."

"Wait! You know what it is? You know what that snake bastard did to him?" Naruto sat up eagerly, putting his weight on his front arms as he propped himself up in front of the man.

Jiraiya blinked at him. "That snake bastard?"

"Yeah, the guy that did this, his name was Orochimaru."

The name made the white-haired man wince but he turned back to the dog and nodded. "So he is here. Yes, I know what it is; it's a sealing jutsu of sorts."

He and Ririshii shared a look before turning back to Jiraiya, who was cracking his knuckles. He raised up one of his hands and Naruto sat transfixed as each tip formed a blue flame, at least that was how it looked. He grabbed Ririshii by the scruff roughly and before Naruto could stop him the older man was shoving his hand into Riri's gut.

As he did it looked like smoke came from the points his fingers touched and Ririshii did yelp in surprise and tried to get away, but after the man retracted his hand and let go of the animal, Ririshii merely landed with a loud thump, panting on the ground.

"What the hell! Why did you…"

"I'm releasing it so he can use his chakra properly." Jiraiya stood, brushing his one hand on the red fabric of his shirt. "Don't get so worked up. Now, tell me, why did Orochimaru use that seal on your dog?"

"Well, I guess it was more intended for me, but Riri got in the way." Naruto blinked uncertainly over to Ririshii, now shaking himself and standing unsteadily. "He stopped it from hitting me."

"Hmm that makes more sense then. Well go on you mutt, try it again."

Ririshii stopped and looked to Naruto for confirmation. Naruto nodded but decided to walk with Ririshii out onto the water; the dog had been through enough this past week to justify just outright trusting what the man had done. Just like with Naruto, Ririshii easily stepped onto the flowing surface. He blinked at his front paws then up to Naruto and then they both turned to watch the odd man with white hair, smirking to himself knowingly.

They returned to the landing and tried to avoid the gaze of the older man but he finally caught it.

"Why so determined to get that today? In a hurry?"

"I have a month to get ready. I wanted this out of the way."

"Ah, a finalist then." Jiraiya was chuckling again, pulling the odd scroll back over his arms and it rested neatly just below his back. "Who did you draw?"

"Hyuuga Neji."

"Oh Ouch. Sorry about your luck with that one Kid." Jiraiya was turning and starting to walk away from them both. Naruto went about finding his jacket and the bags he had left nearby. Riri's bandages would need changed after all of this trial and error and he had planned accordingly for that.

Before he even got the strap open he felt the imposing presence of the man again at his back.

"Let's meet back here tomorrow around this time." Jiraiya smirked down at him leaning up against the tree he had stashed everything beneath. "I have a few appointments to keep today but I have some free time suddenly, since you chased off all the ladies."

"Why?"

"Well you want to figure out how to win don't you?" Jiraiya winked at him. "Hyuuga is a tough opponent and far as I can tell you don't have a teacher do you?"

"He's busy."

"Well then, allow me to pick up his slack." Jiraiya laughed and pushed off from his leaning position. "Someone should be at least trying to make you up into a decent ninja."

"Hey!"

"See ya later Kid."

And then he was gone. Naruto watched the spot where he had once been then turned to Ririshii, creeping up behind. "What the hell just happened here?"

"Not sure, but I think he's training you?" Ririshii shrugged and sat obediently as Naruto went back to finding the bandages. He cut loose the wet and heavy ones and dried the area with a shirt he had tucked in his bag for no other reason than he figured he would be at least a little wet, and then began to weave the white cloth back around the angry looking gash in his leg.

"Seems alright, like he's nice." Ririshii finally broke the silence and tested to make sure the cloth was not too tightly wound around his leg before licking at Naruto's cheek fondly. "Just weird."

"Yeah no kidding." Naruto picked up his bags and slung it over his shoulder, again checking the area the Sannin had been and found him still to be absent. "Well, he's gone now. Let's go find Sakura and see what she's up to."

* * *

It should not be his business. That was the thought that continued to pop up as he watched a battle nearby and waited for the right moment to intervene. It was not his place to interfere and yet there he was, about to get really involved in whatever had been happening in the Leaf Village during his absence.

Kakashi and a dark-haired youth were going at each other in either a cool-down method or an attempt to see where the kid was lacking in taijutsu. The boy was very good but much like Kakashi, Jiraiya could see the small cracks where instruction would be needed and after a while reprimands made. Letting bad form go for too long meant leaving an opening to an opponent who would kill you rather than just knock you on your ass.

From all observances Kakashi was doing as most of the village probably wanted of him; training up the Uchiha to be a great starter seed to the new Uchiha Clan. It certainly did not take a genius to see Kakashi would be stuck with this task after the massacre had happened. It just saddened him slightly that it was how Kakashi was forced into teaching.

Kakashi was still a brat to him, a child. One that Minato had brought to him and presented to him proudly. Of course Jiraiya had already been aware of the boy, he was friends with Sakumo after all, but when Minato brought him he was a ninja, not a child.

Still that was how he saw him and he could still remember how adamant Kakashi was to never, ever, take a Genin team. There was a lingering fear there that was so expertly hidden away behind layers of masks that did not even cover his face.

Jiraiya had almost bet on him being dead, in all honesty. One by one the kid has lost his family, his teammates, and then his teacher. Any other 'kid' would have cracked into a million pieces and either done the deed themselves or just thrown themselves into their work to the point they were killed by another. But there he was out on the field, taking the Uchiha through his paces.

Finally Kakashi had enough of the sloppy work the boy was presenting. Either they had already been training most of the day and the kid was slowing or he was not taking things seriously, either way it had finally reached the limit of allowance and Kakashi knocked the kid to the ground with little effort.

The Uchiha came up slowly and began to yell at the older man who merely waved his hand and began to walk away from the kid. Absolutely ticked by this the kid got a huff about him and stalked off towards wherever it was they were camping in this lovely section of Konoha. "_Wonderful, the Uchiha wasn't young enough to not be imprinted with that damned attitude of theirs." _

Kakashi was well aware of Jiraiya's presence, Jiraiya made no moves to hide the fact really. He just patiently stood nearby and waited until Kakashi was done with his own little tidying and stalling. Finally the silver-haired runt turned to face where he was and walked over.

"Heya Brat!" Jiraiya called out and received a half wave that was so very reminiscent of his father's that it made Jiraiya grin. "You're going a little easy on him aren't you?"

"If I allowed him, he'd drive himself to exhaustion." Kakashi came up to the shade the tree laid out below it but stood just outside of the invisible barrier of it. "He is too driven."

"I can imagine what for." Jiraiya scowled and watched Kakashi nod his head solemnly. "Egomania must be bred into their genes by now. I also hear he might have a mark from an old friend."

"He's not as bad as most I've seen, but he's not much better. I suppose the Hokage told you about that? I would feel better if you did happen to look at it; I believe I have it sealed properly but…"

"But this is Orochimaru we're talking about." Jiraiya conferred and mentally added that to his check list of things he was not supposed to be doing but probably would anyway. "However, that is not why I'm here."

"Oh?"

"I actually wanted to ask about this interesting little egg I found while researching today."

Jiraiya watched amused as Kakashi sighed and went to rub at the bridge of his nose. It was the reason Jiraiya was here, he had been intrigued, but he also was curious. When he had first set up at the bathhouse he had taken notice of the blonde, sure, but it was none of his business. Then the brat made it his business and he wanted to humor the memory of his student.

But the more the kid talked and reacted the more Jiraiya was being reminded of someone else; someone unexpected.

"At the bathhouses…."

"Yes, the bathhouses. I'm glad to see you know who I'm talking about!!" Jiraiya played along and laughed loudly. "Another of your Genin was trying unsuccessfully to walk on water."

"It takes him a bit longer to pick up new things. Actually pretty interesting to watch how it happens sometimes…"

Jiraiya nodded along with Kakashi's assessment. What he was about to do was cruel and unusual but he had a theory to test and shock was the best way to get the best result. "Not my concern really because once I found the Five-Pronged Seal…."

"The Five-Pronged….I made him promise not to mess with anything like that! He barely just got a grip on how to seal weapons and he's working on some odd exploding tag for watering his plants…." Kakashi began to rant before Jiraiya even finished his sentence and slowly it began to dawn on the Jounin that he had been had by the older man and he stopped just as abruptly as he had began.

"No, please, go on! I'm interested to hear how this came about." Jiraiya smirked evilly as he plopped himself down at the base of the tree in a cross-legged sit. His suspicions had just been confirmed. It really was a long shot but when Naruto had reached up to rub at his nose in such a frustrated manner after Jiraiya had let him up off the ground, Jiraiya instantly had seen Kakashi and furthermore Sakumo.

All the Hatake's had this bad habit of rubbing that spot if you got them frustrated enough and Jiraiya had made it his personal goal each time he was in Konoha to do just that, frustrate the hell out of his friend Sakumo. Kakashi was only four when his father had passed but he was plenty old enough to have seen the habit long enough to subconsciously pick it up.

Which meant the kid at the hot springs had been around Kakashi long enough to pick up the habit.

From what Jiraiya had heard through the grapevine, it was a bunch of greenhorn rookies had made it through two and a half rounds of the Chuunin exams. Rookies meant just graduated and if that were the case, Kakashi only had Naruto on his team for only a few months; not the years it would have taken for a subconscious habit like that to form.

The runt KNEW Kakashi and he knew him well.

"The Hokage did not tell you about that?"

"I actually haven't presented myself to the old man. It's nice to come into this village and not be barraged with all the problems the moment I come in the door. I was just enjoying an old pastime when some blonde rat gave me away." Jiraiya paused a moment while he searched for his pipe, ready to relax from the long day. "And after that damn good entrance the only thing he remembers me for is that 'junk' I write."

"Well he was always rearranging them when he was younger, it's no wonder." Kakashi seemed to be muttering to himself, glancing behind him to make sure Sasuke had not returned nor hovering nearby. "You said you found a five-pronged seal…"

Jiraiya grinned up at the Jounin. He had zeroed back in on that little tidbit of information, how interesting. It almost sounded like Kakashi was _worried_. "Oh, yes that. Well you didn't let me finish, it wasn't actually on him, it was on a dog."

That earned him a hard glare and Jiraiya chuckled as he lit the tobacco inside his pipe. Oh he was worried **and** he was protective. "It's wonderful how much gossip you can pick up when you come back from a long vacation. Hatake Kakashi, the Great War machine of Konoha, retired from ANBU and no one knows why…"

Kakashi made no moves to stop him or answer the underlying questions and Jiraiya continued. He enjoyed the mental wrangling with the brat because usually no one could crack that damnable persona Kakashi had except for Minato and himself. Kakashi was a good Shinobi and very good at hiding all of his emotions behind a perfectly constructed wall of aloofness. But it did not fool Jiraiya.

"I bet I could hazard a guess though. Something came up didn't it? Something that required a little more attention than being in ANBU allowed you? Say, a kid?" Jiraiya watched the eye narrow and focus back in on him. "He honestly seemed rather offended when I tried to disarm him after tripping over some invisible line he has that told him I was a threat. Of course maybe I shouldn't have said you told me about some things I heard."

"So that's what Orochimaru did to Ririshii." Kakashi folded his arms and sighed. "That doesn't explain why you tripped over a line. I thought you said he caught you peeping."

"Oh yes, he did. And when I wasn't about to let him sneak off scot free that dog of his, another interesting point I might add, decided to pin me in a henge. It would have been a good bluff except that the dog hasn't learned to change his eye color yet. When I pointed out I knew his eyes were blue that set him on the defensive."

Kakashi again lowered his head, closing his eyes and sighing heavily. "It would, it would belie that you knew who he was and most who know who he is only know him as a 'bad' thing."

"I won't lie kid, this is a bit of a shock." Jiraiya smiled up at the silver-haired 'boy' and watched a flicker of sadness pass through his eyes before returning to ninja mode. "I thought you swore you hated kids."

"I do…..I did." Kakashi groaned and hung his head.

"Exactly how bad was it?"

"I found him in an alley looking half-starved, beaten, and frightened of anyone that came into his personal space. From what the Third told me at the time, it was the second attempt by those supposed to care for him to be 'rid' of him."

"Damn, guess that's why he's so touchy then. So the old man decided to stick him with you since you found him huh?"

Kakashi seemed to fidget as he scratched at his mop of hair in an odd show of nervousness. "Not exactly, I decided to take him in myself."

"How old was he?"

"Four."

Jiraiya could not help but laugh at the prospect of Kakashi taking care of a child, let alone a small child. He knew Kakashi was frowning beneath that damned mask of his but Jiraiya continued to laugh and envision all of the frustration that had to have given the ANBU Captain. Finally he reigned in the uncontrollable laughter and smiled up at Kakashi.

"Look I'm not one to judge kid. I was more curious than anything because he actually did that nose thing you Hatake's do and he has a dog summons up, the coincidence was just too strong. Speaking of the mutt, you let him sign your family contract?"

"Riri's not a summons. I taught him the seals and had him sign a contract with Pakkun but he screwed something up entirely and got Ririshii instead."

"No kidding? Just gets more and more interesting doesn't it!" Jiraiya took a long puff and let the smoke billow out slowly. He was getting more and more interested the more they talked. "Why did he get so touchy when I overstepped that boundary?"

"The secret got out this year." Kakashi murmured. "Not to the whole village persay but Naruto suddenly understood all the mistreatment usually thrown his way. I think he's still unnerved by the whole idea of just what it is sealed in him…he asked to be taught seals."

"You think he'll mess with the seal itself?"

"Honestly, no. I believe it to be an action to protect himself and others. It's like he's trying to find a way to strengthen it."

"Seals hmm," Jiraiya began to nod and calculate in his head. "Not a bad idea in of itself. So you're out here then? They stick you with the Uchiha?"

"Orochimaru seems to have taken quite interest in him and as Naruto pointed out, I'm the only other person in the village with a Sharingan."

Jiraiya finished his smoking and stood fluidly, standing just slightly taller than the Jounin still standing slightly at attention. "So, let's say someone caught an interest in the blonde. Would you be adverse to it?"

Kakashi quirked an eyebrow at him for a moment then shook his head. "Depends of course who it is, but I can think of a few that could do better with him than I could."

Jiraiya snorted a little. "So no opposition to say, teaching him to summon toads? Seems to me he has the chakra to throw around, might as well play to that strength."

"I'd encourage it. I believe Ririshii would be jealous if other dogs were involved." Kakashi then grinned, his eye curving up in a familiar grin and he scratched at his head. "Fair warning though, he's like Kushina."

"Hmph, seems to me he's a good mix of all three." Jiraiya picked up his scroll and pocketed his pipe. "It's a damn shame it came to what it did, but I think Minato would be very grateful, for what you've done. Kid seems to have a good head on his shoulders and he seems pretty well off."

"Hmm" was Kakashi's only non-committal grunt as he turned to watch in the direction Sasuke had gone. Jiraiya heard his little hum and took it as a signal that Kakashi was probably done talking about the manner so openly. He had struck a chord that was still a little too painful for the kid. "So you're teaching him then? To summon toads that is?"

"Sure, I need something to pass the time I suppose." Jiraiya began to walk away and waved over his shoulder. "Anyway, if you say he wants to know about seals, who better to give him a few pointers?"

It was interesting to say the least that the kid wanted to know about that particular area of study but it was extremely appropriate. He grinned happily as he began to leave the area and leave Kakashi to find his brooding dark-haired student. Not only was the kid 'him' but he was raised by Kakashi and he seemed to be a perfect blend of Kushina and Minato's varying strengths. He had chakra to sling around and he was pretty damn focused once you properly gave him something worth his time.

And seals were Jiraiya's area of expertise.

"He grows on you…" Jiraiya heard Kakashi call after him as he got just outside of earshot. Jiraiya chuckled and nodded. Of all of the people in the village it was Kakashi that had ended up with the kid. It was such a surprise remembering how Kakashi himself had been as a child.

"_Well that's enough of playing ninja for today." _Jiraiya decided as he took one last look behind him to find Kakashi training by himself now, instead of with the boy. He was proud to see that Kakashi had not seemed to lose any of his own edge and had taken the threat Orochimaru promised seriously and personally.

He quietly began to map out all of the bath houses he knew in the area, since the one had been compromised and planned the quickest route. He had research to finish and he had only told the kid to meet him tomorrow.

He had spent the last twelve years effectively avoiding this village and the painful reminder of what had transpired. Minato had been like a son to him and the thought that he had not been here to make that sacrifice in his place had just shot too far into his gut and stayed there. Instead he spent his time gallivanting around the various countries and writing his books.

It allowed him to forget and it was not like he totally defected like Orochimaru had. He sent interesting tidbits of information he had found in his travels and he had even dug up what Orochimaru had been up to before disappearing to the winds again. There was an organization out there called Akatsuki and Orochimaru had been in their ranks for a short while before defecting from them as well. No one was one hundred percent sure yet about their goals and their ambitions but with their makeup it was nothing good.

And yet he had returned to Konoha, despite having something to properly keep him both in the field and away from the village. But something had seemed wrong about Orochimaru's sudden silence and it made Jiraiya return. Of course he heard the rumors and the rumblings of his attack on the Uchiha heir. This was a hidden village; the ninja were prized for their ability to dig up information, which made for damn good gossips.

Now he found himself committing again. He had only thought to toy with the boy, to see what he was up to, and then be on his way again. But instead now he was intrigued and curious as to what the boy really was capable of. He had not planned to stay longer than a few days to see if Orochimaru popped back up, now he was staying for a month or so because he had in some unconscious way promised to train the kid.

"_Oh well, it will be fun at any rate." _He grinned as he found a good place to peep from. There was a waterfall nearby and the bushes concealed him well enough. _"And if I can train him in using the fox's chakra, his stamina increases tenfold. You can teach a kid like that all sorts of tricks." _

Yes, this would work out nicely.

Except the next day the kid visibly and forcibly balked at his grand schemes.

"Well no shit I have two chakras, what's that gotta do with my training?" Blue eyes took a stony look to them and even the dog seemed to harden.

"Well if you exhaust one you can use the other now can't you?" Jiraiya fired back and was met again with a frown and a hard shake of the boy's head. "You learn to master them both and it opens up a whole world of jutsu that you could get away with."

"I know what that other chakra is, I'm not touching it."

"_So he understands the relation to his chakra and the fox's chakra, good but also bad." _Jiraiya frowned as well; he was not prepared for such opposition. "Kakashi said you were interested in seals."

That caught the blonde off guard and simultaneously both Naruto and Riri cocked their heads to the side and questioned him quietly. Again he had brought Kakashi into play and it seemed to confuse the blonde to a point of rebelling.

"So what if I am?"

"Well it just so happens I'm a seal master. How do you think the Fourth knew how to seal that demon away so expertly?" Jiraiya crouched down and pointed at the kid's stomach. "Lift up your shirt."

Naruto did so hesitantly but complied with the request. Ririshii took a tentative sniff at the kid's stomach and then looked to Jiraiya questioningly.

"Okay then, start molding your chakra." Blue eyes questioned yet again and he wondered just how long it would take for the kid to just do what he said without questioning the thought behind it. Sure he could tell the kid was on edge around him but he would have believed the guard would have dropped a little. As the boy did as he was told the seal used to contain the demon fox appeared. Jiraiya grinned and pointed out to Riri whose ears perked up and he inspected the area. "Look down."

"Whoa."

"That is a Double Tetragram Seal, surrounded by an Eight Sign seal." Jiraiya reached down into the sandy bank they were now on, well away from the village but close enough to his peeping spot by the waterfalls. He took his finger and duplicated the seal in the dirt in front of him as Naruto stood staring at his own stomach. "The center portion of the seal is what keeps the fox's chakra in control. If any of that chakra leeks out it channels it into your own system so your chakra suppresses it. The eight seals keep it contained."

"That is freaky looking." Naruto reached down hesitantly to touch at the seal but quickly took his fingers away, somewhat afraid of tampering. "I still don't get what that has to do with my training."

"The Fourth designed this seal specifically so you could tap into and use that chakra. I think it a waste to let all that hard work go for naught."

"No way." Naruto again outright refused. "There's no way I'm touching that. If that's all you were after you perv, I'm going back to the village."

Naruto got part way through gathering his things. Surprisingly the mutt stayed in his sit watching after the blonde. Jiraiya sighed, stood and made sure the scroll at his back hit the ground hard enough that the boy could hear it hit and turn around.

"Very well, if you wish to stay away from it, perhaps there is something else I could teach you."

"What how to peep?"

"You are aware of what a summons contract is I believe?" Jiraiya ignored the jab at his hobby.

"Yeah." Naruto nodded and quietly returned to standing beside Ririshii curious as to the whole charade.

Jiraiya went about unfurling the roll of paper, revealing all of the names written out in dried blood upon the aged parchment. Both the kid and the dog came closer to eye the scroll and read the occupants written there. "Dogs are to highly specialized, and have limited uses. Tracking is the main and most common use of Ninja Dogs. Toads however, have a little wider use. They have hands and weapons depending on who you summon."

"Like that one that blocked me yesterday." Ririshii observed.

"Yes. And you aren't exactly a summons either. So this contract is for the Toads of Myouboku Mountain. " Jiraiya pointed to an empty spot on the scroll. "If this is more agreeable to you, I can teach you to summon toads."

The kid did seem more agreeable to this idea and bit into his thumb and began using it to write his name in red. He added his finger prints at the bottom of the scroll just like all of the other signatures before his and nodded in pleasure before standing back up and waiting for his next instruction.

"Do you remember the seals?"

"You talked to Kakashi."

"Like I said before, you brat, I know Kakashi from way back." Jiraiya frowned as he sat and turned his attention to the waterfall where some girls had finally started to gather in the afternoon heat. "So either you know them or you don't and if you don't well then I suggest you start trying to remember."

"Jerk," Was the kid's only response. There was silence after that and Jiraiya became too focused on the three bosom ladies that had begun swimming and playing around the waterfall. Ah, to be young again! Konoha really was ideal for his research, as the warm weather always seemed to keep the girls dressed just right.

He had to admit to forgetting about the boy. He pulled out his idea book and began sketching and writing intermittently as he smiled at his good fortune. His publisher was after him for another installment, the books were doing really well and Jiraiya raked in small fortunes whenever he put a new one out. Hell he even believed there was going to be a movie in the near future but it was still in talks.

Being an artist really paid more than ninja work normally did….and it was a lot more enjoyable as well.

After a while it seemed like the young ladies were tiring and that they were ready for lunch. They began to towel off and head off towards the road leading back into the village itself. He frowned, was about to turn away, when he heard a new female voice.

"Ah, finally, now for a quick dip."

He swung back around in time to see a luscious looking brunette toeing the water and giggling in pleasure. Why she had not joined the other girls, he was not sure, that was until she started to reach up behind her long wavy hair and toy with the straps of her bikini top.

"_Oh ho!!! What do we have here? A skinny dipper in broad daylight." _Jiraiya could feel the drool starting at the corner of his mouth, watching happily as her top dropped and she fled to the water's safety before removing her bottoms. _"Oh honey, aren't you just brave! A girl like you…." _

She sighed and dipped down to her nose, giggling some more. Jiraiya could not believe his luck and began scribbling furiously. She swam over to the falls and stood finally to let the water cascade over her back and shoulders, wetting her hair in the process.

But then it seemed like something spooked her momentarily and then she smiled slyly in his direction.

"Who's there?"

"_Damn it how did she…oh maybe the kid's making too much noise…" _Jiraiya began to frown and began looking for a good escape route.

"Maybe an admirer?"

Jiraiya straightened a little at that one. He took quick glances around before smirking. Oh today was going to be a good day despite its horrible start.

"It's okay don't be shy!" She lowered herself in the water again and got a sly look in her eyes. Jiraiya closed his book quietly and checked behind him. From all appearances the kid looked to be concentrating hard and had his hands flying through different hand signs.

"_Okay, he won't even miss me for a little while." _Jiraiya smirked, stood and gave a sheepish little wave to the girl. "I must apologize, Miss, but I was walking by and could not ignore your beauty!"

The girl got a blush on her face and swum a little closer to the bank. "Oh, what a flatterer. Perhaps you'd like to join me?" She winked and gave a sly little grin.

"_Jackpot!!!" _

"I wouldn't want to intrude." He smiled and took one step out of the brush. Just as he started to move the other foot he felt a tightening around his ankle and looked down in time to see the wire, react and jump out of the way. A log came flying from behind him and he watched it fly towards the waterfall. The girl disappeared too quickly and quietly and Jiraiya swung behind him to find the kid rolling on the ground laughing hysterically.

"_That little runt!!! How did he get that set up so quickly and quietly?" _

He turned back to the water to see the soggy German shepherd slinking out of the water a grin upon his muzzle and a chuckle in this throat. He felt a vein bulging in his forehead and turned back to the kid, still laughing and pointing up at him.

"Oh man, too bad you dodged it! That would have made it even better!!!" Naruto began saying between gasps of air. "Oh man you are such a sucker!!!"

"Shouldn't you be working on that summoning jutsu?" Jiraiya practically snarled but gaped as a little red frog with blue markings hopped up onto Naruto's head. It wore a blue coat and looked just as pleased as Naruto did as he smirked atop the boy's spikes. "What the hell…"

"Guess his name's Gamakichi!" Naruto sat up straight finally and smiled up at the little frog. "What else you got?"

Jiraiya swore under his breath and walked up to the pair, grinning like mad hatters and still way too pleased with the kid's progress. He had remembered the seals and unlike his last attempt, summoned a toad. Perhaps the theory Kakashi had gone with was just flawed to begin with since Pakkun was technically still Kakashi's personal summon, thus why the kid got a different result. The toads were not as selective and personal in their summoning and thus he got it right the first time.

Of course it was entirely possible at the age he had tried to summon first he just did not have the capability or chakra yet. _"Then again he got a dog." _

"Heya!" the toad waved as he approached.

"Well I can't argue with your skill I suppose." Jiraiya finally muttered, tired of seeing the two smiling and enjoying themselves. Ririshii came up carefully behind Jiraiya, keeping low to the ground and off to the side to avoid whatever Jiraiya would aim his way for his participation in the prank. "And I see the mutt's smart enough to go with a henge that would have a brown eye color."

Naruto only began smiling wider and wider. Jiraiya had been correct when he told Kakashi he believed the boy to have a good blend of all three: he had Minato's chakra and mind, he had Kakashi's quick wit, and he had Kushina's personality to cause trouble.

This kid had just come up with line and verse, because obviously the DOG would not have thought of all of that by himself, for a damn good prank even knowing that the log and the trap would not exactly hit. He only wanted to embarrass the older man and turn Jiraiya's attention back to him. Naruto did not want to train with the fox's chakra but perhaps Jiraiya could open him up to the idea slowly…for right now Jiraiya could only smile wickedly and chuckle a bit when the blonde repeated himself.

"What else ya got?"

* * *

**Author Note x2: **…… *grin* well? Lol there will be more in the next chapter for the 'month' of rest so no worries. We get to see more of this happy little couple ;) I do hope you enjoyed because I certainly enjoyed writing it!!! Kinda slow in regards to action so to speak but we will get enough of that in coming chapters plus we just got off a few of those anyway! :D Okay..off and away to breed some more happy plot bunnies.


	16. Missing Moment: Age 9

**The Fox and the Hound**

**Missing Moments: **Age 9

**Author Notes: ** Okay I finally thought hard on it and decided there were two good places this could go at and decided the sooner the better. It was just bloody bugging me in the back of my head after that whole "Aww is Anko jealous" thing at the end of chapter 11. *Grin* Embarrassing conversations for the win!!!! And follow up fuzzies!!! WOOO!!!!

Yeah kinda short, but that is the whole idea behind the missing moments. Too short to stand on their own and they don't really fit anywhere else. Their just fun and games and exploration into bonding moments.

* * *

Kakashi sighed heavily up in his perch in the nice shady tree out by the memorial stone. The sun was high above but it was not beating down on him due to the heavy cover of leaves above him. There was a light breeze in the air and it helped lull him into a sense of relaxation and contentment.

All around it was the perfect day to just be absolutely lazy and just enjoy the weather. There were no pressing missions…well at least none that the powers that be were going to waste him on, and there was no real reason to go out training or double checking anything at length. It left him with little else to do than to find a good place to relax and read. It did not happen often but when it did it was nice.

He had picked up one of his lesser read books up off the shelf and had begun to head out the door when Naruto and his dog had decided to join him. Both Kakashi and Naruto had decided it was way too nice to be indoors. Ririshii, Naruto's German shepherd laid across the boy's lap below Kakashi as the two laid in the grasses beneath the tree. Ever since Naruto had 'created' the animal it had been at his side and had become another familiar presence in the too-small apartment.

It was probably why they were all a little eager to be outdoors. When Kakashi had first taken the boy in he had convinced himself it was only for a few years, just until the kid could take care of himself. At the time the boy had been four years old and small. Now he was nine years old and quite a deal taller than he had been then. The small study room that was his was over crowded with both him and the dog and Kakashi wondered just why the original plan never came into play.

Naruto was plenty old enough to in theory be fine on his own. He had learned quite a deal both from his instructors and Kakashi himself, he should be able to strike out on his own with little effort. It was not like he did not keep the apartment up more than Kakashi did, he was there more, but still the boy never complained and Kakashi never broached the subject with Naruto or the Third.

Kakashi let his book, not the usual orange affair, come to rest over his nose and he closed his eye willingly. An afternoon nap would not be an awful thing and it seemed Naruto was just as relaxed below him with Ririshii. Maybe that was why the subject was never broached because they had become so comfortable around each other by now. They were used to each other and their behaviors.

Of course Kakashi wondered when Naruto would accuse him of not being himself because usually if he came to this area he stared at the Memorial Stone like some forlorn puppy. He had merely passed by the stone with little more than a glance and perched himself nearby as if it were merely another rock in the landscape. And for some reason that was all it was today. He felt no need to apologize to Rin and Obito or to report to the Yondaime….he just felt the need to be nearby.

"Hey, Nii-san?" Naruto asked just as Kakashi felt sleep dragging at the edge of his senses. He groaned lowly and peeked his eye back open. Naruto was not yet up in front of him, balancing precariously on the limb watching him, so he looked back down below him. Naruto was still down there petting his dog and resting up against the base of the tree.

"Yes Naruto?" Kakashi finally asked back when Naruto did not go forward with his question.

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

Kakashi balked and almost let the book fall from his face and down to the ground. What in all the Shinobi nations made him ask that? He came up slowly and turned his full attention to the spiky blonde hair beneath him. "What?"

"You know," Naruto looked up to him, those expressive blue eyes deep and serious. He was not playing a prank or being a jokester, he was asking this in all seriousness. "A girlfriend. Do you have one?"

Kakashi shook his head trying to kick back in his good sense because he was having a horrible time coming up with the right response just yet. "Why in the world…."

"Dunno, just curious I guess." Naruto shrugged and his head went back down and his gaze out on the field in front of him.

"_Just curious?!" _Kakashi scrunched up his eye as he regarded the boy beneath him. Usually there was a reason behind anything Naruto asked and Kakashi was clueless as to why this question had popped up in the kid's head. "No, I don't Naruto."

Kakashi was too awake now and pulled the book back up to his eye and began trying to read. Whatever had just happened to a nice quiet day? Of all the things Naruto had asked that was what he came up with? Granted he was good at trying to find ways of getting a rise out of Kakashi but even this subject seemed an odd one to bring up.

When the silence drug on Kakashi could hear the kid shuffling below him, fallen leaves rustling as he repositioned himself. The dog huffed heavily and repositioned as well, his head now beside Naruto's legs and feet.

"Did you ever have one?"

Kakashi sat the book aside and again looked down at the boy. "Can't say I have Naruto. Why are you asking?"

"Why not?" Naruto ignored the inquisition and continued on with his own inquiries.

"I guess because I've always been too busy." Kakashi groaned and reached up to pinch at his nose. Why was he having this discussion with the boy? Why did he not just pretend to be asleep and that he had not heard the question?

"Don't you get lonely?"

Kakashi's eye came back open quickly and stared at the green leaves obscuring the blue sky above. That was a question that had stunned him momentarily despite his brain screaming at him to say 'no'. Still his mouth did not comply with the order and he just sat there actually contemplating the question seriously.

"Not usually."

Naruto's eyes were peering back up at him inquisitively and Kakashi frowned. What in the world was the kid getting at? Why the sudden interest in his love life? Would you even call it that? Sure maybe he had lied just now. He had never really considered what he and Rin _were_ but many probably would have seen it as a relationship of sorts. He had grown fond of her after he had gotten his own head stuck out of his ass, but they had never really defined their relationship so he was never sure.

"You're the only Hatake right?"

"Yes." Kakashi winced involuntarily at that particular point. This was an odd direction this conversation was going in.

"Don't you want a family?"

Kakashi glanced back down to the blue eyes, still locked in on him. "Naruto what in the world has gotten into you? Why so interested in that?"

"Well a couple people were saying you were going to end up alone." Naruto frowned and fingered Ririshii's tail in a nervous way. "That you were going to be the last Hatake ever."

Kakashi sighed heavily and cursed the village gossip mongers. Why in the hell were they back on **that **particular kick again? He was only twenty-three years of age and the village was talking about the future of his 'genius' again. God he hated being so damn smart sometimes. If he were just a normal Jounin from an average family no one would give two damns about his marriage status and whether or not he was going to produce heirs.

"I don't want you to be alone because of me." Naruto muttered and hung his head, playing with a patch of fur that came loose from his nervous petting. The dog seemed to sense his discomfort and nuzzled in closer to his legs, laying his head across them now and whimpering. "I thought maybe if you had a girlfriend that you didn't want her to know about me or…"

Kakashi sighed again and mentally wanted to punch his younger self in the face. How much trouble could a kid be? How hard could it be to make sure a kid was fed, clothed, and had a safe place to sleep? Damn why did no one warn him? Oh wait Asuma might have tried to in his roundabout way, but Kakashi had been a stubborn idiot at that point. Naruto and he were comfortable around each other now but that only opened the door for odd and uncomfortable questions to finally start popping up. Naruto was not particularly afraid or unsure but every so often he would get some doubts and assuring them away was not as easy as it had been when Naruto was four and five years old.

The kid was particularly tuned to hearing all the little gossip going around the village. Being able to pick up on the mood of the village as a whole was the main reason Naruto was getting so good at dodging and avoiding incidents any more. But it also meant he heard lots of things that he just did not understand what it was underlying the words.

For this particular instance Naruto had not realized the villages' only concern was continuing on Kakashi's family's trait of genius along to another before he inadvertently got himself killed on a mission. Sakumo had once been a favored genius and Kakashi still was so it was natural to keep that going in the hopes of a whole clan of geniuses that would only make Konoha look skilled.

Saying the truth would only confuse the boy further and there was no way Naruto understood the whole manner of courtship yet, he was only nine! Or at least that was what Kakashi really hoped was going on.

"If it weren't for you I would be alone Naruto." Kakashi finally began forming words he hoped would soothe the anxiety and allow the boy to ignore any more gossip about this particular issue. "I think you know that."

"I know, but…" Naruto fidgeted and finally looked away, embarrassed a little. "But why is that? Where'd your family go?"

"_Ah, so that's it then, he's gotten brave enough to ask." _Kakashi frowned. Naruto had been very perceptive from a young age and that perception was starting to finally have consequences as he learned about Clans and family ties.

Naruto had become a little fixated on the idea because suddenly he realized he was not in a normal situation. Before hand he believed it to be normal that it was just him and Kakashi. But now he was friends with Nara and Akimichi, both from Clans of sorts and he had certainly heard about the Uchiha massacre so now he understood family lines a little better.

"_Of course he would be curious. Usually there are at least two generations of family members in a household if not more but when it comes to us there's nothing." _

Kakashi closed his book finally and came down the tree to stand beside Naruto, eying the Memorial Stone fully now. He had wanted to be here for whatever unconscious reason and maybe that was why Naruto asked. By now the blonde had to have figured out Kakashi came here and what he did, he shadowed Kakashi often enough. He had not been in the mood to stare at the smooth surface littered with names when they first got here but now he was motivated to stare at the ones he knew and try to figure out just what it was that happened to them all. Most of all how to explain it to Naruto…

"My mother died when I was very young. I don't remember her really." Kakashi found the words spilling out without knowing it fully. Naruto and Ririshii came to attention and seemed at rapt attention as he continued on, in a slow lazy drawl. "My father…."

Kakashi still did not know how to touch this subject. When it had happened he had been too dumbstruck to even really understand it and after it started to sink in he had been so angry at his father's weakness and his selfishness that Kakashi just shut the man completely out of memory. He just did not exist anymore and, for all Kakashi had cared then, he never had. He had betrayed the village…

But as Obito had finally made Kakashi see, perhaps the village had been the one to betray his father. And he had felt guilty over the amount of loathing and distancing he had done between himself and his father. Even more so the more used he became to Sensei. He felt like he was betraying his father for some unexplained reason for warming up to the Fourth so much.

"My father died when I was six." Kakashi realized that Naruto would think that young too but by then he was Chuunin. He never really thought of himself as a child during or after those years so it was hard to define 'young' for him. "I was an only child so I guess that's what happened to them."

Naruto took a furtive glance at the stone and then up to Kakashi. "Is his name on the stone?"

"No, his name's not on there." Kakashi shook his head and frowned at the thought. "He decided that his teammate's lives were more important than the mission they were currently on. He saved them but failed the mission."

"Why isn't his name on there then? Seems to me he was brave to save his friends." Naruto frowned over at the black rock like it was at fault for not having Kakashi's father's name. Kakashi smirked a little being reminded of Obito's quick decision that Sakumo had been a hero.

"He didn't die on that mission. But it is the reason I ask you not to worry about what others think or say about you. The village blamed him for his failure to complete the mission. He went from being a hero to being hated and he…he did not know how to handle that." Kakashi stuck his hands in his pockets. He focused on the stone and one of the more prominent names. "He decided to end his own life, instead of bear the shame."

Saying it out loud made it a little more real than Kakashi liked. Sure it had happened but by now most had forgotten the White Fang of Konoha. He was no longer a hero and Kakashi was no longer his son. So easily were people swayed by such monikers of worth such as genius and who it was you were training with.

Kakashi was surprised when Naruto wrapped his arms around his waist from behind and just stood there. He glanced back at the kid who had never really been all that touchy to begin with, as he hugged the older man in front of him. Sure Naruto had hugged him before but they were quick and fleeting. There were times when he would reach out and clutch to Kakashi out of fear but those too would be quick and hardly noticed. This time he just stood there quietly, with his head rested against Kakashi's back.

"But," Kakashi went on, again turning to the stone and smirking a little, somewhat comforted by the nine-year-old and his impulse. "just because they are gone do not mean they are no less my family. I believe they watch out for me still."

"Really?" Naruto let loose and wriggled his way underneath Kakashi's arm and looked up at him inquisitively. His gaze went to the stone and seemed to sadden some as well. "Do you think…think that my parents watch out for me?"

"Of course." Kakashi patted the head in front of him reassuringly then smiled somewhat fondly. "I believe they would be quite proud of you as well."

"You think so?"

"Yeah, I know so." Kakashi patted the boy's head again and began heading back for the village. So much for a nice nap; lunch would be okay though.

Naruto and Ririshii rushed to catch up and soon the happy nature was back as he ran along and the dog nipped at his coat or his legs. The shepherd was very expressive with his actions and Naruto soon was smiling again.

Before they made it to the busier streets and all of the hustle of the afternoon hours Naruto stopped suddenly and those blue eyes were back on him again, watching with some amount of curiosity.

"You do know all the girls like you right?"

Kakashi groaned and palmed his forehead. That's right Naruto's mind always wrapped right back around to the issue that had brought up the anxiety in the first place.

"I mean all the time, talk talk talk.." Naruto cocked his head to the side. "You know that right?"

"There is a term we like to use about those type of girls." Kakashi continued on about his business. "Fangirls. And they are scary and usually crazy."

"They seem alright to me. Like the really like you or something..."

"That's only because I am a mystery to them." Kakashi snickered a little under his breath. Really he never paid them any mind. "They don't actually know me Naruto, they just like the idea."

"The idea?" Naruto scrunched up his face and started following after him again. "That is so weird."

"Tell me about it."

"So, why not a ninja or nothing? Like Asuma and Kurenai!"

"Heh. Well for starters Asuma and Kurenai are hiding. Not that any of us can't tell, they are quite obvious if even you picked it up." Kakashi chuckled out right and thought about it. Sooner or later the two would have to quit the charade but so far neither had made the move yet. "And secondly I don't think it's any of your business now is it?"

"Sure it is!" Naruto chirped up happily, puffing up and walking straighter. "I have to look out for you."

"Really?"

"Yep. Since you're so hopeless." Naruto grinned back at him and shook his head. "Or at least that's how Kurenai says it."

"I knew it!" Kakashi moved to snag the kid by his shirt collar but Naruto was already moving. Of course Kurenai put the idea in his head one way or another, damn Genjutsu specialist she was she probably made him think it was his own idea.

Then again she did not plant the uncertainty about his lineage or Kakashi's. She had merely made an off-hand comment and Naruto had taken it to heart and begun to really think about the jab Kurenai had made probably to Asuma.

As the kid made his escape, Ririshii tailing him closely, Kakashi growled a little and went on his way as well. He now had a goal for the rest of the day.

* * *

"So, I hear you think I'm hopeless."

Kakashi had found the two as always, together. Kurenai and Asuma in a training field, going at one another in an apparent training session. Kakashi more than guessed Asuma had probably pissed the Genjutsu user off in one way or another and was paying a price for his mouth.

Kurenai gasped as her head jerked above her to where he was hanging from a branch.

"Need I remind you of just how big of a target Asuma has on his back?" Kakashi pointed to the chain smoker who was panting but giving him a slight look of appreciation. "And how Naruto just beelines for him whenever he's bored?"

"Hell, what is that kid up to now??" Asuma snarled and put his knives away as he came up to the pair, Kurenai still a little perplexed. "I swear when I get my hands on him he's gonna regret touching my cigarettes Kakashi."

"Well Kurenai may have saved you from whatever he had planned that day. Apparently Kurenai believes I'm in need of a girlfriend and thinks I'm hopeless, and said so out loud."

"What the hell…" Asuma was scratching his head looking to the red-eyed woman who was now sweating under the intensity of Kakashi's glare. "Wait how do you know this?"

"Because I just had the wonderful experience of a nine-year-old asking me about my dating experience." Kakashi growled and crossed his arms in front of him as Kurenai gave him a little smile in apology while trying not to laugh at the thought of it. "Which let me also remind you how Naruto's mind works; he's erratic and meandering. That idea spawned into the idea of why exactly I was the only Hatake in the village, and then of course the inevitable question of what happened to the others."

"Oh, shit." Asuma snickered and backed away from Kurenai. "You are in a lot of trouble lady. Come to think of it do I even know you???"

"Kakashi honestly, how can you possibly blame me for…"

"For starters I would think that a couple of Jounin could figure out they were being spied on by an academy student. Then again maybe you are losing your touch. I mean how else do you explain it?" Kakashi came down and stood slowly in front of Kurenai who blushed hard. "Well I guess there is another way isn't there? You knew he was there and said it anyway."

"Honestly I just thought he would start hounding you about it. You know a dog with a bone right?" Kurenai began trying to defend herself but knew it was a lost cause. "Oh come on Kakashi, what harm did it do? You probably just ignored him anyway."

"No…." Kakashi sighed and bore his one visible eye into Kurenai's red ones. "You also seem to forget that whole 'dog with a bone' analogy you just used. Once he has it, he doesn't let it go. So no, I did not ignore him. I told him."

Asuma let the cigarette in his mouth drop to the ground as he gaped at him. Kurenai visibly flinched and turned her eyes away.

"So fair warning, I'm okay with this, really." Kakashi made a waving motion between the two of them half heartedly threatening about their little affair of sorts. "But I may or may not try to stop any of his efforts to expose you from now on."

"You wouldn't." Kurenai ground out narrowing her eyes and here merely narrowed his back.

"Wait he knows? What does he know exactly?" Asuma was sputtering wildly the threat hitting its mark.

"All's fair in war, Kurenai-san." Kakashi smirked evilly and quirked an eyebrow up as she made a move to say something but he stopped her with the action. "And I'll remind you, whenever you happen to be blessed with children of your own, of just how fun that kind of conversation can be."

With his threat/promise in place, Kakashi waved and smiled happily, passing by Kurenai and giving Asuma a friendly little pat on the shoulder as he passed him. Sure he was okay with being open with Naruto to a point but the initial shock of the question had jarred him hard and after learning about Kurenai's involvement he decided to nip her well-planned setups in the bud.

If she wanted to play in his affairs he had no problem of playing in theirs, just to get revenge. Just as he had said, all was fair in love and war.

* * *

**Author Note x2: **Heheheheh so yeah, that whole comment I made back in Chapter 11 about Anko having a thing for Kakashi spawned the first portion of this missing moment. Kids are just AWESOME on finding that lovely spot that is like, HEY! We're gonna make you talk about uncomfortable stuff now kay! My own cousin's kid has pulled this quite a few times on me as well. They are DAMN good at it at any age. Yeah I skipped age 7 I'll be headed back there; this one was just BEGGGING for the attention now. It was just too funny to think exactly how Kakashi would react to a question like that, based on Shippuuden portions when they are trying to figure out Jiraiya's code. "You want me to read from his book? O RLY? *blush*"

Okay off to either write scraps for future chapters or start on Ch. 13 (technically has three pages already just started off). My method of writing is somewhat odd I think in that I write scraps first. A song will spawn some ungodly idea and I start hammering it out. Most scraps never make it past 4 pages, the idea doesn't work or whatever, but the ones that DO happen to start spawning turn into stories. Well I've exhausted this story's 'scraps' section that is merely titled 'au naruto' in my documents. Okay no that's wrong, there is one snippet in there (Aftermath of Valley of the End) but that is not yet in play.

I'm kinda like Naruto in that respect: I don't write in a straight line, I get the idea out and then figure out a way to connect the pieces in constructive and believable ways XD …so off I go to either do that or play some more Rock Band XD Video Games are my weakness.


	17. Sugar and Spice

**The Fox and the Hound**

**Chapter 13: **Sugar and Spice

**Chapter Summary: **How is the training going for both the Hawk and the Fox? Just what kind of trouble can they get into?

**Author's Note: **hehehe before you all go at the title, yeah there's a reason for it….just not real apparent. I figured I had the boy's saying already I needed to use the girl's. Yeah it'll have a reason attached to it....kinda.

Note: I have FINALLY figured out a nice fun way to let the cat out of the bag so to speak about Kakashi and Naruto to the other two. *evil grin* oh I do so love when plans come together. HOWEVER, I do want to run this by someone just to double check with the masses so if you're into spoilers and you wanna help me out let me know by review

Edit: DEAR GOD The crazy is spreading. Idea mentioned above has spawned more and more until finally there is Saku (no I won't tell you who Saku is…). Sunavabitch this is why I hate the little rabid plot bunnies and yet love them SOOOOO DAMN MUCH. I mean honestly, I can't even touch this seriously until after the Tsunade arc…and a good portion of the crazy would come as 'shippuuden' era type stuff… SUNAVA….. *goes to cull some of the rabbits* Please note that is WHY this chapter has seemed to come slowly because this freakin monster is gnawing on my brain. UGH.

Note two: Yeah I'm aware I've boo-booed some of the ages already. UGH me word person not math person…as such I usually f-numbers up pretty badly. BUT after seeing the goofs I pulled out the post-it of scribbles and began doodling away numbers while watching and reading and I will be going back to fix these little boo-boos shortly. My apologizes for those little slip ups.

* * *

Heavy rains battered the dry ground harshly the second week of the month. Kakashi stood watching it from an outcropping frowning, wondering if it was the weather giving him a signal to back off a little bit. Behind him Sasuke sat panting, the storm was upon them before they had noticed it in their little spar that morning and still the dark haired boy was winded.

"_Guess he should not have called me lazy then." _Kakashi turned his eye on the boy, keeping his eyes at the floor of the cave they had found while he desperately tried to steady himself. Still he felt somewhat bad; bets were it was time for a little less of the intensity because the boy was starting to fray a little around the edges.

Sasuke had not pulled on that curse mark yet. Either it was because he knew Kakashi would disapprove or he had taken Kakashi's words to heart and intended to find his own strength and not rely on the easy path. He was glad either way for it because it was easier to pretend and forget it was there. He had not forgotten it but he was good at fooling himself.

"_But why am I so concerned about it? It's not my place to care and yet I do." _

Looking back at the dark-haired boy though he could easily see why; Sasuke was a reminder of what he once was. The way he drove himself, the way he acted towards others, all those little things he thought about now and cringed.

Sasuke was him, left to himself at a young age and put under the pressure of proving his worth to a village that could just as easily discard him if he did not perform to standards. The only reason Kakashi did not crack was Minato-sensei and so far Kakashi had done little to emulate him, he had been doing better impersonating Obito around his team.

"_Act like you would with Naruto." _He frowned at the thought, knowing it had been a different situation and Sasuke probably would not like the change in behavior, especially if he showed any amount of leniency or caring.

"It would seem we suddenly have some time on our hands." He sighed finally and pulled out his book to lean up against the cave walls and use what little light was left from outside.

"Stupid rain."

"Hmm. It's not too bad; I think it was time for a break anyway."

"What? Are you joking me? From all that you have said that Sand Ninja could not be beat by any of us right now. If I don't think of something…"

"We've already been working on that Sasuke." Kakashi hummed and smirked a little under his mask. So Sasuke was actually nervous about this match up, he was worried about how to face someone that had that kind of defense on their side. "Rock Lee exhibited a great way around the Sand's defense."

"Oh yeah, real good. He's in the hospital and from what I heard before I left no one expects him to be able to return to duty." Sasuke frowned. "He got caught in the end."

"Because he is strictly a taijutsu user. That speed and method of attack puts the Ninja off balance but he quickly learns to deflect given enough time to watch and learn. You however, have the ability to use Ninjutsu, whereas Lee did not." Sasuke was very quiet as he absorbed some of what Kakashi was telling him. "You've done well to produce a speed close to Lee's in a short amount of time, you can be faster I'm sure."

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei?"

Sasuke took on a tone quite like Naruto's when he was curious about something. He glanced back at the boy, now sitting cross legged with his arms stuck between his legs. If it were not for the dark hair he would have easily believed it was Naruto about to ask him something that had been stewing for awhile.

"Naruto….he seems to know Lee."

"Hmm?" Kakashi quirked an eyebrow at the statement. "That could be."

"Before the first portion of the test Naruto stepped in and stopped Lee. He actually fought with Lee and was matching him, when I couldn't." Sasuke's eyes came up and speared the older Jounin particularly hard. "He's not an idiot is he?"

"If there is one thing I have learned about Naruto in the past couple of months…" Kakashi lied. Mentally he was saying 'years' but Naruto had not let either of his teammates know about where he lived or who he lived with. "Is that he can make friends with anyone, and that opens a lot of doors when it comes to getting help. Naruto isn't an idiot, no; I think it is a very well constructed mask to protect himself."

"From what?"

"I'm not sure; you would have to ask him yourself. Just don't expect an answer." Kakashi sighed seeing knowing sooner or later the jig would be up. Naruto believed he was keeping up his façade but in reality his teammates were starting to catch onto the discrepancies. "Anyway, I believe you should be more concerned with your training at the present, not Naruto."

Sasuke huffed and crossed his arms in front of his chest and nodded somewhat in agreement. "So I have speed now, what's your other grand plan?"

Kakashi grinned, closed his book and pushed off from the wall. Now they were talking. He brought his right arm up and positioned his fingers like he normally did. He began drawing on his chakra and then finally applied lightning to the now bright sphere of light in his palm. The distinctive sound of chirping birds were a comfort and he smiled genuinely as Sasuke came up to his knees to inspect what it was he was showing him.

"It's called Chidori." He went about his explanation. "It is a combination of shape transformation and nature transformation making it an A-Rank Ninjutsu."

"What's it do other than make noise?"

Kakashi merely grinned and pulled his hand back sharply and jabbed it as fast as he could through the nearby wall. The cave was structurally sound enough to do so and without gathering up enough speed his hand would not go very far anyways. It would merely punch a hole in the wall without damaging his hand.

"When faced with a seemingly impenetrable defense, one should think of a good offensive, one that allows them to cut through their opponent's defenses like a knife."

Sasuke watched transfixed as Kakashi drew his hand out from the wall and inspected the charred wall surface where his hand had first went in. Of course he told Sasuke about Lee's fight and how the Sand reacted of its own will to protect Gaara. Sure he knew it was a daunting task, with the last remaining week and a half they had to prepare, but something told him this was well within Sasuke's realm of ability.

"There are drawbacks to this attack. For it to have its effectiveness you need to have a running start, and enough speed to plow through what you are targeting. You must also go in a straight line, which creates a tunnel vision effect. But you and I have the perfect counter to that drawback." Kakashi reached up and tapped at his headband just above his covered eye and Sasuke instinctively reached up to one of his own eyes.

"The Sharingan."

"Yes, it allows us to be able to see the enemy's counter attack despite the speed at which we are going. Since we seem to be stuck in here for the duration." Kakashi took another glance outside; the downpour had yet to even lessen so it was going to be one of those gray, shitty days. "Perhaps we can start on the first part of this jutsu, shape transformation."

He put his hand up again and just did the first step, creating an erratic looking ball of chakra that was visible. He showed it to Sasuke who had finally activated his own two Sharingan and then pointed to the boy's hands. "This is merely focusing your chakra to a specific place and forcing it to become tangible. Normally people cannot see chakra but it is possible to force it in a sense. It takes a great deal of concentration and even more stamina."

That seemed to properly distract the Uchiha and he sat down and began concentrating on his left hand. How odd to go for that hand instead of his main hand. Kakashi had always assumed that he was right handed.

The silence usually was pretty concerning though. Sasuke was not as vocal as Naruto about his thought process and the past few weeks Kakashi would always go off to occupy himself whenever Sasuke was on his own regime. The rain outside was preventing this. Well it was not really 'preventing' it; it was just making it an undesirable idea.

"So you're worried then?"

Sasuke cursed and the feeling of discharging chakra brushed Kakashi's senses. So he was already close to the idea of it. He sat at the mouth of their little hole and let the raindrops blink passed his vision hazily.

"It'd be stupid not to be." Kakashi continued on the thought and heard the yet another curse as the pre-teen turned to face him again.

"You're more talkative." Sasuke muttered and Kakashi could imagine his eyes boring into the back of his head.

"So I'm lazy and I can't be curious." Kakashi grinned beneath his mask and took a long glance over his shoulder. "My you are restrictive."

Sasuke seemed frustrated with him but for a second the boy hesitated in going back to his task. He sat there looking up at him warily. Finally the boy brought his hand back up and he went back to figuring out the simple part of the jutsu, but he was not exactly quiet.

"Honestly, what do I know? You took me out of there before I could see anything." Sasuke was fuming slightly. "All I've heard is what you've told me and what the gossips were saying in the hospital. The gossips are probably over exaggerating and you're probably leaving something out."

"What makes you think I would do that?"

Sasuke floundered for a moment, not really sure why he believed that. He took another glance up at the Jounin then seemed embarrassed for a moment. He snarled a little and seemed to go back to his hand and his chakra. Kakashi was not fooled.

"I told you exactly what I saw, Sasuke, I would not lie." Kakashi reassured slightly and turned back to the rainfall. "What gain would there be lying to you?"

"A lot of people do." Was Sasuke's reply and Kakashi should not have been surprised by it. People probably did lie to him, a lot. It was obvious by the way the boy constantly stuck to himself and believed he only had himself to rely on. It was a lot like Naruto when Kakashi had first found him; he had not trusted Kakashi at all, because people said one thing and did another. Kakashi had to prove himself.

"Well I don't make it a habit so to speak." Kakashi muttered and flipped a page in his book.

"Then why are you here? Is it because of the village or because you actually wanted to be here?"

Kakashi straightened. Well damn, he was very perceptive. "Because I wanted to be here."

"Really?"

"Honestly, yes. Of the three of you, you are the most like me." Kakashi eyed him carefully for a response. "And because Naruto seemed to have his own idea of what to do for the month."

"Really?"

"Can't say I know what that was, but he certainly seemed sure of himself." Kakashi chuckled a bit. "Anyway, I have to have someone to pass this jutsu onto. I was the one that created it after all."

Of all the things that was the one that got the response. Sasuke glanced down then back up to him as if reassuring himself that it was indeed Kakashi sitting there and not some imposter.

"You think he's going to beat Neji?"

"Not really, but he'll put on a show if nothing else." Kakashi shrugged. Part of his brain logically told him Naruto was outclassed slightly by the older Hyuuga. Another part of his brain emotionally told him never to underestimate the blonde. The two were at war and he could not make up his mind which one was right.

There was a slight pause in the conversation and Kakashi idly wondered if this fascination with Naruto was what Anko had been talking about. The woman had been sure sooner or later Sasuke would want to prove himself against Naruto because of what Orochimaru had done to him; either to test himself and see if he found himself wanting or just for the pure reason to prove himself better.

"You said before you were in ANBU."

Kakashi glanced behind him again seeing the boy getting the starts of the jutsu down, a small spark of chakra in his palm. He seemed to have a dead set determination in his eyes all the sudden.

"I did."

"Were you with them when…when my brother was in…"

"_Hmmm seems he has a new goal in mind all of the sudden. Why so interested in that?" _

"I would ask how you possibly knew that but I already know your father probably spoke of it often despite his not supposing to know." Kakashi sighed. It had been the only way to secure the Uchiha prodigy for the group…going through his father. "I was."

Apparently Sasuke had been using that question as a test to see if Kakashi lied to him or not. Many people skirted around the issue with him, of that Kakashi was sure. Because he said he had been Sasuke sat up and the glare softened to a somewhat curious gaze. "You were?"

"For a few months yes. Actually I believe he was my replacement as Captain when I left."

"Meaning you trained him?"

"No. ANBU works slightly different. Most missions are you and you alone, and in the event that there are teams sent out it is a Captain and two others. I merely saw your brother in passing on my way out the door."

"Why'd you quit?"

"It was a vigorous schedule, one that you can't keep up for very long if you are of right of mind. I finally got tired of it."

"Hmmm."

"Sasuke," Kakashi paused not too sure how to say anything on the matter without pissing the kid off. Still it seemed a rather lax thing to let it pass without saying anything. "Revenge is an empty pursuit. Even if you find and kill him then what do you have?"

"How in the world am I supposed to just let that go?" Sasuke snarled suddenly, backing slightly away and further into the darker parts of their shelter from the rain. "He killed everyone! And he got away with it! How in the world do I just let that pass?"

"I would first ask you to think about the picture as a whole." Kakashi hummed and set himself to his book. "Yes what he did was horrible and no one could really fathom the scope of it till much later. Itachi was always odd during the few months I was in ANBU at the same time as him but he always seemed rather calm and collected; a model operative who obeyed all orders. Nothing in his performance up to that point EVER pointed to the fact of genocide. So why did he do it and leave one other alive?"

Sasuke had become deadly quiet as he sat in the shadows, fuming but listening to what Kakashi had to say. This was something Kakashi himself could not seem to come up with the answer to but perhaps Sasuke could and maybe it too would create reason enough to stay in Konoha with them.

"You really don't lie." Sasuke finally managed to grumble as he turned away and went back to his exercise.

"You wanted the truth didn't you?" Kakashi smirked a little not hearing any of the huffs or puff the boy usually put up when he was annoyed. Perhaps he had struck enough of a chord to silence that little voice in his head that said 'kill Itachi'. Maybe he was successful in diverting his 'goal'.

Now all Kakashi had to do was prepare him for the worst.

* * *

Jiraiya happily scribbled in his book as he glanced upon his new favorite peeping spot. The weather the past three weeks had been ideal and despite that rainstorm last week, most of the days had been perfect weather to be out and about. Perfect weather for research and he was getting a lot of that done. Naruto had done little to disrupt or disturb him since he had properly occupied the boy with a few of his more common sealing jutsu.

The first was a simple storage seal. One that Jiraiya had believed would help Naruto with something Kakashi had let leak in his surprise ambush. Sure enough by the third day Naruto was bringing a bright orange pot with him and had set about putting to use what he had learned from the storage seal.

It was an odd hobby, to be sure, but really it was amusing to watch the boy dote on the plant like it was something living…like that dog of his. Each time the tag he was trying to make seemed to backfire and dump too much of the water he had put into the tag out, Naruto would snag the paper and toss it before it could completely flood the pot and kill whatever it was supposed to be growing.

After a few days of frustration and cursing it seemed he finally had the idea in place and the 'tags' would dispense water in an even amount at pre-set timers. What surprised Jiraiya was the next day, after figuring all of this out, the kid had shown up with an armful of paper, a pitcher, and lots of ink. Naruto went about scribbling in the sand for each plant he meant to make a tag for and went about figuring out the desired timing, water, and seal for each.

It was only then that Jiraiya had begun to grin proudly and planning in his head. The boy had the mind for sealing jutsu; even more so than Kakashi ever had. Kakashi was just good at copying what he was shown; Naruto was creative enough to come up with his own ideas, which was the trademark of any good seal master.

So he had proceeded to show him the second sealing jutsu he had cooked up; the sealing of chakra. Honestly he had been hoping the lesson would ease whatever fears there were about the fox's chakra but the kid had taken it a step in another direction. He had asked if you could portion your chakra in such a way that it was almost a reservoir for you to 'unseal' in times of need. It was not a unique idea, one other Jiraiya knew of had that same application of that kind of sealing, but it was a surprise that he came to that idea so readily.

So during the afternoons when girl's were predominantly at the falls, Naruto would settle in to tinker with the seals Jiraiya was teaching him and anything else he might have wanted to dabble in, and Jiraiya would get to peep. Otherwise the two of them were fighting and working on the kid's basic skills. They were not lacking but they were not quite to Chuunin level yet.

"_I've yet to open him to the idea of the fox's chakra and he only has a few days left." _Jiraiya frowned as the girls put out a picnic near the falls and were talking happily amongst themselves. He sighed and turned to see Naruto painting on his right shoulder with a dark black marker. The symbol was reminiscent of the swirl on his stomach but slightly more artistic and with a little more flare. Near it he began carefully putting little symbols, barely noticeable when next to the swirl but easily seen by his keen eyes. "_So he's going to try this reservoir of his." _

Nearby the dog watched with an interested air about him. Ririshii was companionable and very rarely interrupted either of them during their taijutsu spats or when Jiraiya was pointing out any flaws in Naruto's seals. Most days the dog went underneath a nearby tree to watch diligently while his leg healed. Jiraiya liked the dog well enough but he knew that the leg, officially unwrapped now, was probably going to prevent the animal of being any help to Naruto during his matches.

Which would be like cutting off a limb for someone who was used to the extra set of eyes and ears. Or it could be a slight blessing in disguise. Naruto seemed very protective of the animal and Jiraiya could hazard a guess that it was because of both the five-pronged seal and the injury. He would spend too much time trying to intercept or block any damage to the animal and leave himself open.

Naruto went through a few hand signs and pointed two fingers into the marks he had made. He flinched a bit and Jiraiya was sure it had worked because soon he was on his hands panting a little bit. Much like the water for his plants, Naruto had not figured out exactly how much chakra to put into the seal before attempting it. From the looks of it, he had taken a pretty good chunk. Not in all a bad thing, he would recover that chakra in a day or so but if he had been anyone else that would have hindered him.

"_Hmm, let's see if he does the other one." _Jiraiya crossed his arms and waited to see what the blonde's next move was. "_If he exhausts himself, perhaps I can try another way of getting him to use the fox's chakra." _

"_He is not going to like me after I do this." _Jiraiya contemplated as the blonde finally reached for the pen, and did what Jiraiya betted on him doing, creating another mark on his other shoulder. He had to give the kid some credit for them. Their placements and their designs nearly reminded him of tattoos that people used to adorn themselves. Perhaps that was his intention and perhaps it was not, it still would make it hard for anyone to tell what the marks truly were.

"Heh, decided to try it that way huh?" He asked as he came up behind the boy, blue eyes peering up warily as he approached. "Interesting symbols but very well placed."

"Heh, thanks!" Naruto grinned suddenly, pleased with his assessment of his seals. "Guess the only thing left to do would be to test 'em."

"Not so soon after their placement I would hope. Give it time to set up and settle otherwise you'll be reapplying the seals after just setting them. Anyway, perhaps we should do a refresher on your summoning."

"Wha? What for?"

"Well you've only got four days left you know. I want to make sure you can do it at a whim."

It was a lie really. The kid was very good at the summoning jutsu and so far had produced larger and larger toads. Jiraiya was curious to see if he could summon Gamabunta or not but so far the boy had not been giving as much attention to the summoning as he had been to the seals. Something told Jiraiya when Naruto left he was continuing on his own.

Determined. It was the best word to describe the blonde.

"First, can I use your mutt as a courier?"

"Maybe if you stop calling me mutt." Ririshii growled from his perch. "What do you need?"

Jiraiya waved a little letter he had tucked away in his pockets. "I need you to take this to the Hokage if possible?"

Ririshii stood and shook out his coat. The warm summer month was causing the shepherd to shed excessively and he always seemed to be letting loose hairs fly. Jiraiya had caught Naruto brushing out the dog carefully a few occasions when he had been late to their meetings. Ririshii gave Naruto a glance before carefully mouthing the letter Jiraiya held out to him and nodded his head before starting towards the tower.

Naruto was standing and stretching, pocketing the pen and a few papers Jiraiya had not noticed before. He smiled a little as the boy stood straight and glared up at him as if he were asking him to start performing bushin again.

"Well are you just going to stand there or are you going to do as I said?"

Naruto merely rolled his eyes and began flying through the hand seals for the summoning and just as he brought his hand up to slam it down, probably to summon Gamakichi again, Jiraiya moved and sucker punched the kid in the gut with enough force to knock the wind out of him. Naruto gaped for a moment before passing out and Jiraiya smirked to himself as he hoisted the boy up on his shoulder.

"_If he will not draw on that chakra himself, perhaps it is time to force him." _Jiraiya secured the boy and began walking towards his destination. What he was about to do was going to piss off at least three people, if not more, but he had a theory to test. _"I would assume that chakra comes out despite his intentions if his life is in danger. That means we just have to put him face to face with what he is trying to avoid." _

"_Forgive me, for what I'm about to do." _

Once he arrived at the place he had in mind he landed Naruto harshly on the ground. The act woke him up and Jiraiya noted how quickly he came to his feet and how quickly those damn blue eyes focused on him.

"What the hell you perv!" He instinctively reached to rub at the spot Jiraiya had hit him. Man he looked pissed…just like Minato whenever Jiraiya did something so stupid the blonde genius had to give him hell for it. "I don't know what your game is but I'm done for the day. I'm finding Riri and you can shov…"

"A ninja should be prepared for anything." Jiraiya scowled and the blonde stopped his ranting long enough to glance at him unsurely. "If you cannot dodge a blunt attack like that, I doubt you'll beat Hyuuga."

"Yeah I know Neji's going to attack me though. You're out of the…."

Jiraiya let the boy continue his rant as way of diversion. He flicked up a finger and used a trick learned from Tsunade. He appeared to only tap the kid on his forehead protector but because of the chakra behind the flick, the blonde went flying through the nearby bushes and eventually to the cliff just on the other side.

Naruto himself had become confused the moment he realized what had happened. _"That perv hit me again, what the hell is he getting at…shit!!!" _

Naruto's eyes went wide just as he felt there was nothing beneath him. He was not flying towards the ground again nor was he landing up against some tree. He was merely meeting free air. For a fleeting few minutes it was just as if he was airborne but then came the dragging reality of gravity and just as suddenly as he had been flying horizontally he was flying downwards through a jagged ravine.

"_Damn it!!" _His mind reacted in the most predictable way and he panicked at first. He quickly quieted the well of sheer terror coursing through his veins and began pumping chakra to both his feet and his legs. Just as a ledge got close enough to snag he went for it but his fingers merely slipped from the smooth surface.

"_I used most of my chakra making those seals…" _Naruto winced and reached up to his shoulders. That was why the white-haired pervert had diverted him away from 'testing' his method before. "_Fuck what do I do? What do I do?" _

He was going too fast and even if he did release the seals he would probably still slip from the rocks. Or he would rip his arm off in the process. If he tried to do a summoning in this state he would only get Gamakichi or another of the smaller toads he had been producing instead of one that was useful to his plight, that plan was also banished. As he continued to go flying through the ravine all he could keep thinking was how painful the land was going to be; the way the rocks would crunch his bones and absolutely destroy his body.

"_That's it!" _He shut his eyes tightly and braced himself, hoping for an all out miracle but knowing that the perv had basically served him his death sentence. He wondered idly if that was the perv's idea all along. The Yondaime had been his student after all and Naruto had to be a walking reminder of the entity that had killed his prized pupil. "_I'm going to die." _

"_Nii-san…" _

Without warning his perception changed. Instead of the cold air smacking him in the face and the cold dampness of the surrounding rock faces he felt wet. He shook his head and blinked, finding himself in a long corridor with bleak hallways much like the eerie green hallways of the tower in the Forest of Death. For a second he just sat there confused.

"Is this death?" He whispered out into the silence. Instead of a greenish tint like the hallways of the tower this place held a sickish yellow glint put off by spare hanging lights coming from a ceiling he could not exactly see. "I didn't even feel anything…"

Behind him the sound of rumbling thunder drew his attention. He stood and turned to it, not sure which of the many doorways it had come from but knowing with certainty it had come from behind. For a second he stood there listening to the rumble that started to sound more and more like heavy breathing.

Finally his feet began to move against him and he began dragging them through the ankle deep water that seemed to flood the passageways.

Without knowing where he was headed he turned down a door fairly far down the line and finally came into a large chamber that was a dead end. He was about to turn away and back track but his eyes landed on the heavy golden gates directly in front of him on the very back of the room's wall.

"Whoa, what's…" he began to approach the cage, transfixed on the inlays of markings up the middle, culminating in the large kanji symbols dead smack in the center. "Wait a second that's…."

Just as he stopped moving forward large claws seemed to snake out and try to jab at him. He ducked but the cage's doors prevented them from even getting close to their mark. Naruto found himself cringing but looking back up to the cage. Behind the gilded bars there was now a presence, one represented by a mass of glowing red, two red eyes and a clean white line of glimmering teeth.

It was the fox.

"Why have you come here, little boy?" The voice deep and rumbling snarled at him, the eyes narrowing and zeroing in on him. "You wish to offer yourself up to me?"

Naruto froze unsure of himself suddenly. This was the Nine-tailed fox demon that was sealed inside of him. But instead of it being some demonic creature that merely existed, the damn thing was talking to him. It had a voice, it had a thought process…it was real. That was a whole new pill to chew on and he was not quite sure what to make of it.

He did know that the option to fox gave to him was out of the question.

"No way, that perv just forced me here." He finally found his voice and yelled up at the all seeing red eyes. "If I had it my way you'd rot behind that cage without us ever knowing of one another."

That tickled the fox's senses apparently because the demon began to chuckle. It was a dark sound, evil and devilish. The eyes closed momentarily as the fox finished with his amusement and then popped back open suddenly.

"You are wise to fear me, little boy."

Naruto grimaced, well that was no good. He could not have the fox thinking he feared him now could he? Still he was afraid of it was he not? Was that not the reason he refused to even cave into the old man's attempts at figuring out how to master his 'other' chakra?

"However, if you die, I die, and we cannot have that."

"Wait, what? How did you know about that?"

"As if I cannot be aware of what is going on around us." The fox snorted and the water around Naruto's feet lapped up at his legs from the force of his breath. "You are an interesting little mortal, I will give you that. But still foolish."

Naruto felt something new lick at his feet and he glanced down to find the color of red seeping through the bottom of the gate's hinges. It seeped into the water like blood and slowly crept up his legs and around his torso.

"You have no chakra of your own to stop your fall. I shall lend you my chakra."

"No way I want nothing to do…" Naruto stopped himself before furthering the fox's belief he feared him. "Fine…but let's be fair here, am only taking your chakra as the rent you owe me."

"Hmm….however you wish to see it…foolish little boy."

Once again Naruto found himself smacked in the face with air and he was back in the ravine. He would later have to piece together exactly how that had just happened but for now he had a much more pressing matter; the fact he was still flying down the ravine.

"_Big toad, need a big toad." _He kept chanting as bit into his thumb and flew through familiar hand seals. He slammed his palm out ahead of himself, not too sure if it would work if his hand met only air but was pleased to see the familiar black lines forming mid-air

Now his only worry was if the toad he got was going to be big enough or not.

Finally there was a big puff and Naruto came to a sudden an abrupt stop atop a red head. He winced as he hit but it was less painful than the landing would have been on rocks. He quickly stuck to the head with his chakra and blinked down in surprise. It was a red toad, with black markings and a large staff which he had plunged into the ravine's walls and was now balancing upon with his one hand out grasping a rock. On his back was a golden shield that looked more like a dinner plate than anything to Naruto.

"My apologizes, little master." The toad drawled on slowly, his yellow eyes blinking up at him, still upon his head. "I am a little clumsy. Are you hurt?"

"Clumsy?" Naruto laughed nervously. "Hardly! Thanks for coming, you just saved my butt....I don't think I've summoned you before."

"I only did what I thought was necessary." The frog seemed to shrug and looked around them. "My name is Gamaken, little master."

"Heh. You don't have to call me that, you can call me Naruto, Gamaken." Naruto sat unsteadily and scratched at his head. He was so grateful for the toad and somewhat grateful for the extra chakra he had used to get it but where that chakra came from…

"So little master, what do you wish of me?"

"Huh? OH! You mind taking me to the top? That pervert sent me down here, and I don't think I can get back up there."

"Certainly." The Toad hankered down a little bit and blinked his eyes. His free hand reached down to his polearm and gripped the black metal surely. "You might want to hold on, little master, for I am quite clumsy."

Naruto did as he was asked; sliding till he could grip at the toad's shirt and for safe measure used his chakra to stick his hands to the fabric and his feet to the toad. Once he was settled the toad took a huge leap and began scaling the jagged walls that had once been blurs. Within a blink they were landing on solid ground and Naruto took in the view from the tall toad. He could see Konoha's gates and he wanted nothing more than to return to them and wondered about asking the toad for a lift. It seemed somewhat insulting though; Gamaken seemed built for combat and despite his claims of being clumsy he had fluidly moved up the rock faces without trouble.

Naruto decided to slip down. Surprisingly the toad caught him before hitting the ground. "It's alright Gamaken, you did great! I don't think you're clumsy at all!"

Gamaken sat him down gently and seemed to sigh and mull over the compliment. "Thank you little master, but I am quite clumsy."

"There's no convincing him, Kid." A familiar perv's voice came from behind and the white-haired man came into view, **smiling. **_"_Well done!"

"Well done?" Naruto suddenly felt furious. He knew what the man was, his reputation both as a peeper and as one of the legendary three, but he merely stalked up to the older man, lashed out the only way he knew how: he sucker punched the taller man straight in the gut. He used whatever chakra he had left, panting afterwards as the man doubled over in front of him. "You can go to hell you bastard!"

"Heh, knew you weren't going to be happy..." Jiraiya choked out as he looked up to the boy. "It does you no good to be afraid..."

Naruto was not listening, he began walking away the moment the man began talking again. "Thanks again Gamaken for helping me out. You can go home if you like."

"Naruto…" Jiraiya was calling after him and starting to follow him.

Naruto responded fluidly by flipping the man off while he walked away. "Fuck you. I know your intentions now, you bastard and as far as I can tell my training ended weeks ago. Thanks for nothing."

Apparently he sounded gruff enough or pissed enough to halt the man's steps. Good, he wanted nothing to do with the old pervert at this point. If Naruto had the power to beat him he would love nothing more than to return the old man his 'favor' and see how he reacted but there was no way to do that. So instead he continued on his way back to the village and straight for the ramen shop. He was starving and his head was pounding.

He felt some of his tension ease when he finally made it back to familiar walkways and began headed for the one place he was going to feel safe at the moment; the ramen stand. He had no idea where Kakashi was and since he and Sasuke were camping where they were training Naruto had been by himself so far and apartment was empty feeling. Hopefully Ririshii would return to the grounds, see that he was not there and find him quickly; he wanted his dog.

"_I shoulda known then; he wanted Ririshii out of the way. God I'm so stupid…." _

"Naruto?"

Naruto stopped and glanced to the side. Sakura was standing near a building smiling at him. She waved a little and came over to him. "Hey Sakura-chan!"

"Man what happened to you?" Sakura giggled a little bit and flipped at his clothes, somewhat ruffled and disheveled. "You're not overdoing it are you?"

"Nah, just…just this trainer I got…"

"It's not Kakashi-sensei?"

"No, he's with Sasuke." Naruto pointed out and shrugged. His admittance seemed to give her a little bit of relief and she sighed while smiling. "What are you up to?"

"Running some errands for my mom, I took some dango over to Ino and her family and a couple of other places. What about you? Are you done training for the day?"

"Yeah, I think I'm done period." Naruto muttered and began walking again. "I'm headed for Ichiraku's."

"Oh…well hey," Sakura rushed to catch up and surprisingly latched herself onto his arm, smiling happily as she did. "I'm kinda hungry too, mind if I tag along?"

"Uh," Naruto had no idea how to respond to the sudden interaction at first. "If you want to…."

"Great, I haven't seen you guys all month, well the other two I haven't you at least stopped by once or twice." Sakura smiled and let him go and took up walking just beside him, her short pink hair bobbing around her face as she smiled and talked in an animated fashion. "I'm surprised Kakashi-sensei wasn't training you both…I mean he even thought of me even though I didn't get into the finals. He sent me all these books on Genjutsu that he thought I could learn."

"Heh, yeah that sounds like him, such a bookworm."

"Yeah he kinda is isn't he?" Sakura agreed. "So what about this trainer of yours? What's he been teaching you?"

"Eh, sealing jutsu….how to summon…"

"Summoning jutsu? Really?" Sakura blinked in surprise. "Can you do it?"

"Heh yeah."

"What can you summon?"

"Toads."

"Wow, like Jiraiya the Sannin?"

"I forgot you paid a lot more attention in class didn't you." Naruto frowned at the name. So what if he was a big deal, he was a jerk, a royal jerk. "Stupid jerk…"

"Wait…" Sakura stopped dead in her tracks. "You're saying Jiraiya-sama…he's the one training you?"

Naruto cringed but nodded. "He _**was **_training me."

Sakura gaped suddenly at him, unsure of what to make of his comments. "Wow Naruto that's…that's pretty special you know."

"hmph." Naruto stuck his hands in his pockets and began walking again. His head was only pounding harder and he felt heavy. Man he was starving. "Special alright, about as special as falling to your death from a cliff…"

"What?!" Sakura came flying up, grabbing his arm again and causing him to stop.

"Yeah idiot shoved me off a cliff to see if I could stop myself." Naruto spat. "And for another reason all together."

Sakura shoved him down an alleyway suddenly. She looked around for a few seconds to make sure no one saw them and then her teal eyes were looking over to him pleadingly. "What did he do that for?"

"I was stupid; he was too interested in the fox to begin with." Naruto slid down the wall of the nearby building and frowned heavily. "I think he shoved me down the cliff so I would draw on its chakra."

"The fox's chakra?" Sakura looked absolutely terrified. "Why in the world would he want you to do that?"

"Apparently that's how the Yondaime designed the seal." Naruto found himself retelling the whole scenario to the pink-haired girl. At first he only wanted to find Kakashi and rant and rave but then he realized that Sakura knew about his secret and was okay with it so far. He could talk to her and she would be just as good as Kakashi…she was pretty smart. "I told him no."

"And…and did you?"

"I didn't have a choice; otherwise I'd be in the bottom of a ravine splattered all over the place." Naruto huffed. Instinctively his hand reached out for Ririshii but his hand only met air and he seemed lost for a moment. "He tricked Riri into running and errand for him and I was just plain stupid…ugh I can't believe I thought I was lucky."

"Anyone would have said the same if they knew." Sakura whispered. "I can't believe someone like him would do such a thing…"

"Worst part of it is…" Naruto shuddered and hugged his knees a little. "That damn thing can talk."

"The…the fox can?"

"Yeah, it talked to me. It's been aware of shit this whole time." Naruto drew his head up to look at Sakura. Her face had gone a little white but she did not seem afraid or terrified yet. He wished she did because then he would feel a whole lot better about feeling terrified as well. "It can think, and it can talk. It's a living thing trapped inside of me that can think and talk, Sakura….what am I supposed to do with that?"

Sakura slid down the wall she was near too and seemed lost in thought herself. She fingered the edges of her dress and watched him carefully. "I would guess that you do with it as you have been."

Naruto blinked.

"You said before it's a lot better when you can pretend it isn't there so just pretend."

For a while Naruto believed that was impossible now because of what had happened but now that she had said it out loud maybe he could just keep pretending. It did not seem right but maybe that was best until he could talk to Kakashi.

"You're right, what am I getting all freaked out over." Naruto grinned and laughed nervously. "Sorry, I didn't mean to just load that all on you."

"It's alright." Sakura grinned and began standing again. "I would think you needed someone to talk to about it after being shoved into a ravine. Would have scared me too. Still hungry?"

"Yeah." Naruto began to inch up the wall again too. He really was starting to feel unbalanced and figured it on the adrenaline finally draining away and the fact that he had woken late that morning and had not eaten. All he needed was a good meal and to forget about the incident like he had so many others before it. It certainly was not the first time someone had come at him with the intent to seriously harm if not kill…

Of course that would have been all well and good if thing had not suddenly gone black on him.

"Naruto!"

* * *

Clack

Click. Clack

Naruto flinched each time the noise emitted from nearby and wondered idly just what the hell was creating such a noise. He scrunched up his nose for a moment and fought hard to dive back down into nice total darkness but the noise continued.

Clack.

He reached up around his head, finding a fluffy pillow behind it and curled it around his ears. It still did not completely block out the noise. It also told him it was not his pillow that he had wrapped around his head…his was a little more beat up and comfy than this one.

"I was beginning to wonder if you had croaked or not."

The lazy voice prompted Naruto to lessen his hold slightly and peered an eye open. He was assaulted momentarily by the white and the 'clean' around him but finally focused onto a familiar pineapple head of hair. "Shikamaru…"

"And you recognize people, that's great." Shikamaru gave a smartass grin as he sat back from the small table set up beside the hospital bed. Naruto glared at it for a moment and realized it was a shoji board. "Bout time you woke up."

"What day is it?" Naruto finally sat up and rubbed at his head looking around. "Shit! Did I miss…"

"Oh calm down you've only been out a couple of days." Shikamaru sighed in his traditional fashion. "The tournament's not till tomorrow."

Naruto began searching around for his clothes. Like Kakashi he knew they stored them somewhere nearby and knew he could easily sneak out scot free if they just never realized he was up. Shikamaru would probably not rat him out. His stomach snarled and he rubbed at it absently.

"Seriously man, what'd you go and do something so stupid as running yourself into the ground for? Sakura has been freaking out."

That caught Naruto's attention a bit. _"She's freaking out because of me?" _

"Been in here practically every day." Shikamaru scratched at his head. Then saw Naruto had found his clothing. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Busting out. I'm starving." Naruto frowned. "Anyway, I'm fine, I just needed to sleep."

"Hmph." Shikamaru turned back to his table and began picking up pieces.

"Were you playing shoji with yourself?" Naruto peered at the board, noting where some key pieces were before Shikamaru snatched them up and began pocketing them away in a pouch. "You're really weird you know that?"

"Right back at you." Shikamaru frowned and pointed at the door. "You wanna see if Sakura's still here? I think she was headed to see Lee before she left. I think she'd be ticked if you kinda disappeared."

"What do you care?"

"I care because she's nuts man." Shikamaru spat. "She has been railing me since I showed up here a day ago. Like I know anything…I was just curious if you were dead or not."

"Heh, you just don't like girls." Naruto snickered and hoped over the bed but then stopped and began searching around. "Hey…where's Riri?"

"Who..Oh yeah…" Shikamaru was still getting used to the idea of the dog with him. "The nurses wouldn't let him in here, said he was an animal and all that. He's probably still outside."

Naruto gave a small mental sigh of relief. He had been frightened that perhaps the old pervert had taken Ririshii hostage to lure him back to him in some way. He followed Shikamaru out of the door and into the hallway. He had always hated this place, especially when he was little. Now that he was older it was just another place to escape from.

He was glad Shikamaru seemed ready to believe him that he was fine. He did not want to stay here any longer but Shikamaru did have a point. He was starting to remember the events leading up to his little nap in the hospital and knew he was with Sakura just before blacking out.

Damn he must have pulled Kakashi's favorite trick; and finally hit his limit chakra wise. Either that or the burden of using the fox's chakra had momentarily knocked him for a loop. It still sucked and he was certain he probably scared Sakura to death.

As they went along a feeling of dred just began creeping into his senses and he wondered if he had just lied to Shikamaru. The way the lazy bum's pace slowed Naruto betted against that theory and they both could sense something was wrong ahead of them.

They came to a door that was partially open and Shikamaru seemed to frown at it like he knew it and then peered inside. Naruto looked above his head, trying to get a good peek at what it was Shikamaru had found so interesting and then froze. It was Lee's room but instead of Sakura inside it was that freaky Sand Ninja.

The red-headed ninja was standing over Lee's bed his hand outstretched and the sand curling around the taijutsu specialist like a coiling snake. Naruto caught sight of Shikamaru's shadow spreading out and sighed a little in relief. He was not the only one that wanted to stop the ninja.

"I can't move…my body…." The boy rasped out, a feeling of rage entering the air. Just as he uttered those words Naruto lashed out, punching him straight in the jaw.

"What the heck are you doing here, huh?"

"Hey man!" Shikamaru yelped. "Go easy, you bash him you bash me."

"Oh…sorry Shikamaru." Naruto marginally apologized as he came back to stand next to the Nara genius. He really did have to sit down with Shikamaru at some point and figure out what it was the Nara's were so good at with their shadows. "Spill it." He growled as he returned his attention to their target, sand dripping from the place Naruto had struck. "What were you trying to pull?"

For that moment time just stood still. The Sand Ninja stood there his rimmed teal eyes boring through Shikamaru and him. Though they held no emotion, both Leaf Genin could feel the amount of loathing seeping from the 'boy' in front of them.

"I was merely going to kill him."

Naruto flinched at the absolute calm that accompanied the voice. How calmly the older teen in front of them had stated his intentions, despite being trapped by two other Leaf Ninja in the Leaf Hospital. It was as if he was not even fazed by those facts at all.

"You already beat him once in the competition, wasn't that enough for you or do you have some kind of grudge."

"I have nothing against him. It's nothing that complicated; I simply want to kill him that's all."

"Oh man you're sick in the head." Naruto could not help but gape at the audacity of the Sand Ninja. _"I guess this was what Kakashi was talking about…there really are people out there who just enjoy killing." _

"You think we're just going to stand by and let you do whatever you want?" Shikamaru huffed. "You sick, selfish psycho."

"If you don't stay out of my way, I'll have to kill you two as well."

"Oh really?" Naruto found himself raising an eyebrow and frowning. He and Shikamaru had to try to bluff their way out of the situation or stall him long enough till someone came along and realized what was going on. "I'd like to see you try."

"Heh, yeah two against one isn't in your favor buddy." Shikamaru joined in. "So why don't you take a little advice and leave quietly. We'll forget this ever happened."

"I'll say it once more." The boy's eyes darkened and he lowered his head slightly. "If you get in my way, I'll kill you."

"Let's see you try it."

"Dude we do not want to go there." Shikamaru balked suddenly at Naruto's gambit. "You saw the same fight I did; this guy fights like he's mad…like a demon."

Naruto blinked. _"Like a demon…"_

Naruto's eyes unwillingly traveled to the dark rims around the other boy's eyes. Like a demon...was it possible that…

"Heh," Naruto decided to bluff yet again. Sure it was dangerously close to letting Shikamaru onto a big piece of the puzzle but something told his gut that the boy would respond to his threat. "He can act like a demon all he wants. I've got the real thing inside of me."

"Honestly are you trying to get us…" Shikamaru started to say but something twitched in the Sand Ninja's shoulder.

"A demon huh?"

Shikamaru stopped and put his attention back on the red-headed Sand Ninja.

"My demon is as real as yours is."

Naruto felt something just release inside of him. Shikamaru's likening the boy to a demon was correct. Those dark rims around the boy's eyes they were not makeup or some odd clan marking; it was the same type of markings that Naruto's cheeks bore… the mark of a demon.

He was not the only one bearing this burden suddenly.

"From my birth my upbringing isn't want many would consider a happy one." Gaara began going on, surprising Naruto and shocking Shikamaru into an uneasy silence. "To ensure I became the strongest of Shinobi, my father had cast his Ninjutsu on me, infusing my unborn self with a sand spirit. I destroyed the life of a woman who gave birth to me. I was born a monster."

Naruto felt the shock hit him just as suddenly as it had hit Shikamaru. Now he was freaked out, this guy seemed to have no qualms talking about what Naruto considered the deepest secret anyone should have about themselves. And yet his mouth moved against him.

"A Sand spirit?"

"It's name is Shukaku and it's a living incarnation of an old monk who had been sealed up in a pot of tea."

"Yeah," Shikamaru seemed really pale now, swallowing nervously before continuing on his thought. "Some kind of demonic jutsu, but to use it on a baby before it's even born? Jees what a swell guy your dad must have been. He really must have loved you a lot."

Naruto found the panic creeping much closer now. _"Is, is that how it's done? Is that really what happens? Is that why…why I don't have a family? Did they die because of...of it?" _

"You speak of love?" Gaara scoffed and his eyes closed momentarily. "Don't measure me by your standards. Love? Family? The only emotional ties I have to my family are the ones I like to wrap around their necks; they're only ties of hate."

"_Okay maybe Shikamaru's right, he's psycho and maybe he's lying about the whole demon thing…."_

"I was nurtured as the salvation of my village. My father taught me the inner most secrets of Ninjutsu and pampered and protected me. I thought that was love…but that was when everything started."

"When what started?"

"Well come on out with it, what started?"

Suddenly the teal eyes widened and the grin grew. The Sand Shinobi suddenly looked very much like the demon he was claiming to be. "In the six years since I became six years old my father has tried to destroy me more times than I can count."

"You just said your father pampered and protected you." Shikamaru was the first to recover from the backlash of shock from the boy's statement. "Which was it?"

"Those who become too strong are apt to become feared." Naruto saw the twitch and watched in slow horror as he moved against Shikamaru's shadow possession. "The Jutsu that gave birth to me had unbalanced something in my mind. My father, the Kazekage, created me as his ultimate weapon but I eventually became a threat to the very village I was supposed to protect."

"_They turned on him…that's what he's saying, he's saying they turned on him!" _

"By the time I was six I had become a terror to the villagers. To them I was merely a relic of the past that they wished would disappear. So you see, I had failed at my one purpose in life. What then was left for me in this existence? Why go on living? For a long time I could not find an answer. But in order to live one needs a purpose. To exist with no reason is the same is being dead."

"_Not only did I lose my family, but I had lost my purpose. No one in this world needed or wanted me, I was unnecessary."_

Naruto stopped and considered the echo of his first real opponent. He still felt guilt over the outcome of the Wave Mission but the words being spoken by this odd and terrifying Genin in front of them echoed so closely and so surely to Haku's lost words as he begged Naruto to kill him. This boy was just like Haku was except he had never found a purpose.

"What is this guy talking about?" Shikamaru was eyeing Naruto as well.

"Then in time the answer came to me. To put it simply my reason for being is in the killing of others. For years I feared those who were sent to murder me, but now I am at peace. I killed many would-be assassins. It was in their killing that the truth was made clear to me. I live solely for myself. I love only myself. And there's no end to it…as long as there are still people to kill I will never disappear."

"_Shit…SHIT….it is like looking in a mirror except it's cracked." _The panic finally found its foothold and gripped at Naruto's stomach. "_We're almost exactly the same except…except people saw me. Kakashi found me…Zabuza took Haku…but this guy didn't have anyone and no one tried to touch him. He had to find his own purpose and this is what he came up with! To kill in order to live. Could I have ended up like that?" _

Without thinking about it Naruto involuntarily stepped back away from the situation. What if this guy's demon could speak just like the fox did? What if out of desperation a lonely child connected with the only thing he had? A bloodthirsty demon sealed inside of him….Naruto could only imagine the words and whispers such an existence would cook up.

"Naruto!"

Shikamaru's warning came too late and he finally snapped two as the sand began to fly towards them. Shikamaru looked absolutely terrified and confused for the first time Naruto had ever seen as he too started to take steps back. "This is bad…"

"Save it for tomorrow."

All three of them swung their heads to the door. Gai stood there, looking threatening enough that it even made Naruto flinch out of his paralysis.

"You're just wasting it today. Tomorrow is the competition."

Something about Gai unnerved the Genin from Sand. He began clutching at his head as if it pained him and began muttering to himself under his breath. The sand began to retract to the gourd as if it were a hand smacked away from a cookie jar. Gai merely put himself beside Shikamaru and waited.

The boy made his way slowly to the door before gripping the frame and glaring over his shoulder towards Naruto in particular. "All the same I will kill you…all of you."

The three Leaf Shinobi stood in silence, listening to his heavy steps down the hallway. Naruto listened to each sound like an echoing beacon. There was someone else out there cursed as he was. But this person had been warped somehow, damaged by what had been done to him over the years…

"_The Third passed a rule that no one was to speak of the events that transpired that night. He did so to protect you…"_

Suddenly it all made sense to him. Sure people still looked upon him disapprovingly and some had struck violently out at him but never until a few months ago did he believe their taunts or their claims. The Sand Shinobi practically bragged that he had been created to become the strongest of Shinobi…a weapon to be used by his village exclusively, Naruto had been allowed to choose if he had so wanted.

"_It could have been so much different. I thought they were lying to me this whole time…were they protecting me?" _

"What the hell was wrong with you!" Shikamaru smacked him neatly in the back of the head, jarring him back to reality. "Bluffing like that is dangerous you idiot! And what did it prove other than he's a complete whack job and nearly get us killed?"

"Sorry." He whispered back and turned an eye to Lee, still seemingly out of it. "I…I just thought it would unnerve him..I didn't expect a back story…"

"That was just too creepy." Shikamaru rolled his shoulders. "Seriously man sometimes you can be a real idiot."

"You two should get out of here." Gai pointed out the door behind him. "You both have matches tomorrow that I'm sure you need to get ready for. Naruto, Lee and I are looking forward to your match most especially."

"You know that's against your own student right?" Naruto frowned at the idea that Gai was cheering on Naruto instead of his own Genin.

"Of course, Neji is a gifted and talented ninja. However," Gai rubbed at his hair and glanced over at Lee. "He does not quite understand the finer points of hard work."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow but Naruto merely laughed. So he had inherited Lee's dream of beating Neji huh? "Well then I won't let you down then, Gai-sensei."

"I know you won't." Gai patted him on the shoulder and then gave another point towards the doors. "Go on you two, and don't make it a point to cross his path again."

"No problems there." Shikamaru shuddered again and headed out the door. Naruto sheepishly followed after him. "One of these days you're going to get in over your head…"

"Like we just did there?" Naruto snarled back.

Shikamaru snarled a little in returned, huffed and then threw his arms behind his head. "At any rate, you seem to be fixed and I'm going home; this is such a drag."

Naruto nodded, looking for the nearest exit and planned his route to the outside so he would both find Ririshii and find the fastest route home. He was still starving but he no longer felt like raiding a local eatery.

"Oh hey." Shikamaru stopped a little down the hallway and leaned his head back over his shoulder. "Meet me a Choji around the old hill around eight or so. There's a festival tonight."

Naruto quirked an eyebrow. "A festival? Shouldn't we be like resting up?"

"Eh we won't be out long. It'll be fun, c'mon, Ino isn't going because she 'failed' and is being all dramatic. You're blonde enough. We'll form our own squad without her."

* * *

The rest of the day Naruto spent holed up in the quiet, empty apartment three floors from the bottom. Ririshii had been right outside, and had neatly tackled him to the ground, sniffing and licking at him as if he were a huge chew toy.

Even now the dog was curled up across his lap as he sat on the couch facing the windows, his mind drifting from one thing to the next, trying to make heads or tails of it all. On top of all the events of the past days the nerves about his match were finally starting to show.

He had heard from Sakura what Neji had done during his match with Hinata. No one had seen the shy Hyuuga girl since then and from all reports Neji had violently attacked his own cousin; which was not right. Naruto knew he was tough purely from the fact that Lee, of all people, had not been able to win against him. Anyone able to so ruthlessly fight against their own family certainly was not going to be pulling any punches because of a silly thing such as being from the same village.

Ririshii whimpered and Naruto patted his head. That was another thing eating at him constantly. Even though the bandage had come off and there was a barely visible scar along his thigh, Ririshii's leg did not seem all the way healed. It was still stiff to move and the shepherd still had a slight limp. It was not as bad as it had been just after the match with Kiba, but there was still healing there.

And though neither of them would very much like the idea, Naruto was pretty sure Ririshii was not ready to reenter a ring against someone like Neji. The dog would protest, and Naruto would want to cave, but in this situation, Naruto knew he would sacrifice too much to keep Ririshii from harm and Neji would pick that up almost instantly.

When the sun started to set Naruto could hear the starts of the festival Shikamaru had eluded too. He was half tempted to ignore the request and stay home but the more he sat there with Riri the more he felt the nudge to just go and the lower the light got and the closer to eight it became Naruto entertained the idea more readily.

"_If all I'm going to do is sit here and fret all night I might as well just go out and enjoy some of the evening. Not like I'm going to sleep that much…"_

"Come on Riri, let's meet the guys." He stood slowly, allowing Ririshii enough time to react and get off of his lap. He reached out for his plain jacket and hopped out the window to the rooftops above the street.

As they approached the 'old hill' as Shikamaru had called it he caught sight of Shikamaru laid back in his usual fashion, gazing up at the sky and Choji just sitting at his head gazing upwards as well. Naruto and Ririshii went to the ground and stalked up slowly to the pair.

"Heya."

"Oh hey Naruto!" Choji smiled happily and smacked Shikamaru in the shoulder which caused the lazy genius to finally blink one eye open and peer up at the blonde as well. "You okay? Shikamaru was telling me he found you in the hospital."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just overdid it you know. How about you? I know you got hurt during the preliminaries."

"All fixed!" Choji puffed out his chest and nodded in affirmation. "Glad you came!"

"Eh I figured we weren't doing anything better so why not."

Ririshii sat and wagged his tail at the two boys. Shikamaru giving him a sort of look before sighing and blinking at the stars again. "This is so lame. A festival before a big battle? Honestly who thinks up of these things."

"And yet here you are." Both Choji and Naruto frowned while Ririshii snickered under his breath.

"Funny, why didn't you join them, you can talk can't you?" Shikamaru sat up and glared at Ririshii.

"Only if I want to." Ririshii leaned forward and licked Nara neatly on the nose. "But since you want me to I guess I can."

Shikamaru reached up to rub off his nose, frowning at the dog and then up to Naruto who merely shrugged but laughed. "Well come on, our dads are probably wasted by now…"

"Maybe yours is," Choji stood and dusted off his pants. "Mine's getting the cook ready so he'll have enough food when we get there."

Naruto balked. "uh, guys, wait…your dads?"

Shikamaru stood and shook his head. "Yeah it's the only reason we're even going to town during all this mess. Dad takes these things too seriously which means I'll be dragging his ass home to my mom."

"I never miss out on a big, free meal!"

"Then uh…why'd you ask me to show up?"

Choji slapped him on the shoulder and began laughing. "Oh there's plenty for both of us Naruto, don't worry about it!"

The two started heading down to the brightly lit streets of Konoha, taking up their usual formation. Naruto followed behind slightly delayed in his step. His worry was not there being enough food or keeping up with Choji, it was that their dads were suddenly involved. This did NOT seem like a good idea.

And besides that, Shikamaru had clearly said 'wasted' as in 'drunk'. Naruto did not _like_ drunks for obvious reasons.

Ririshii saddled right up against his thigh and let his tail continue to flick him in the back, moving him forward. The dog would never let anything happen to him but could really defend himself if Shikamaru's dad decided his son should not be friends with **it. **

They approached a little dive that served both food and alcohol and Naruto instantly flinched when he heard a loud chuckle break the air as they entered.

"Well at least with a daughter at home, it's not so bad on the wallet." A very large, boisterous man was chuckling near the bar. "Most of my money turns into food and then vanishes."

Naruto cocked his head to the side, recognizing the way he was dressed and the odd patterns on his cheeks and turned to Choji who was grinning as well as his father talked. _"Choji's dad." _

"Quit complaining." A man with a vest that looked like it was made out of some kind of animal skin raised a square cup up and looked around the long-haired blonde in between himself and the bigger man. Despite the two large scars on his face his lazy drawl and the dark hair pulled back instantly reminded Naruto of Shikamaru. "You're not the only one who's got problems. Loooook, I understand." He clamped the blonde on the shoulder and leaned in close. "Daughters are a real drag."

"_Oh wow, they were talking about Ino just before weren't they?" _Naruto figured out that the blonde in the middle must be Ino's father, a Yamanka.

"Yeah, there are just sometimes I don't know how to deal with her." The man complained while sipping at a dish of sake.

"I know what you mean, we dads have it rough."

Choji and Shikamaru began moving forward to greet their fathers and, Naruto assumed, join in. Ririshii sat himself just outside the door, having learned a long time ago that Ichiraku's was about the only place that would allow him inside and it left Naruto to dumbly stand there like a third wheel.

"Huh, and you're telling me to quit complaining." The red-head humphed and picked up the restaurant's menu.

Just as Choji got within eyesight the big man rose up his hand and grinned big. "Ah ha!! Reinforcements are here!!! Come on in, order something!" Choji sat to the other side of the man and grinned happily as well. "Hey mister!!! I need another order here! These two pages here, two of everything and make it quick!!!"

Shikamaru for his credit merely strode up to where his father was sitting and stood there staring at the man who merely stared back with a slight tint to his cheeks. "Dad, seriously, you know Mom's going to get ticked."

"Huh? What over a few drinks? Come on don't be a drag. You're supposed to be living it up at this festival."

"Yeah, right, some festival." Shikamaru acted annoyed, giving Naruto a quick glance before turning back to face his father, who looked somewhat annoyed. "What a drag."

"You idiot. Since ancient…" the man paused to take a few gulped from his cup, kinda of leaning forward after he finished, then returned to 'lecturing' his son. "Times…. The final competition has always been like a festival."

"I'm in that final competition tomorrow. Oh man I don't have time to babysit you."

"Hmm? You're in it? What seriously?"

Naruto could not help but snicker at the whole encounter between them. Now he saw where Shikamaru got it from and it was hilarious to see him getting it thrown back in his face for once. He instantly regretted laughing at his friend's expense though because the older Nara's eyes, somewhat glassy and unfocused, turned to him.

"Who's your friend?"

Shikamaru leaned his head back much like he always did and grinned wickedly. For a second Naruto panicked and believed Shikamaru had purposefully drew him out here, he had figured out Naruto was telling the truth about a demon inside of him that afternoon.

"That's Naruto."

"Naruto huh." The man raised an eyebrow at him, took another long swig and then swiveled around on his chair a bit to face the bar again. "Nice ta meet ya."

"Oh yeah, Dad this is Naruto!" Choji perked up from the few dishes that the owner had already been bringing out on platters for the two. "Come on Naruto join us already! You gotta be ready for your fight tomorrow."

"That's right!" the older man proclaimed, holding up a steaming plate of something Naruto could not readily identify. "And you'll need plenty of nutrients for that come on sit down! Order something!"

"Oh, he's in the finals too huh?" Shikamaru's dad leaned over as Naruto timidly approached the stool next to Choji and peered over at the plates of food. One was readily shoved his way and he blinked at it before Choji began nudging him with his elbow and making a 'go ahead' motion with his head. "Man, how many of our guys are in it again?"

"Five of us, Dad." Shikamaru groaned as he leaned up against the bar himself and smirked a little at him and Choji. "Boy Mom's really going to skin you tonight."

"What your mother doesn't know…so you keep your mouth shut." Shikaku reached up and poked Shikamaru lazily in his forehead.

"Yeah sure whatever, but I'm telling you she's going to know."

"Hehe he's got you there Shikaku." The big man chuckled and laughed big, his large stomach somewhat jiggling as he did.

The blonde was leaning over the bar, the same slight blush to his cheeks and glassy quality to his eye. Naruto could not entirely ignore the fact that he kept staring at him. And slowly the blonde began repeating his name.

"Naruto…Naruto….where have I heard that … OH! That's right!"

Naruto instinctively gripped the utensil in his hand and fought the urge to just bolt from the establishment. They were slightly drunk, not the usually 'angry' drunk he was used to seeing but that did not prevent them from changing moods suddenly and bets were this drunk was about to blurt out what Naruto dreaded the most.

"My wife knows you!" the man sat up with a friendly grin on his face. It shocked Naruto greatly. "She says you have a way with growing plants and she loves seeing you come into her shop!"

Choji choked a little on his food and began snickering a little at the prospect of Naruto growing things. Shikamaru's face was unreadable but Naruto was sure he would hear about his hobby later on from his friend. The man was still smiling, his eyes closed and refilling his sake dish.

"She really is quite impressed, usually we guys are failures at such pursuits…or so she says." The blonde took a few more sips from his now filled dished of sake and smiled at him again.

"Oh yeah, Yamanaka-san. She gave me my first plant actually. I was poking around the store and she kinda surprised me a little." Naruto blushed and scratched at his head. "She's really nice…I dunno where Ino gets…."

"HA! Even he knows your daughter is crazy." Shikaku was slapping the blonde on the shoulder again. "Honestly you have to put your foot down, man. Otherwise the women just run you ragged."

"Wait till Mom hears that one."

"Wha…Son you wouldn't dare! Where's the loyalty?"

"You couldn't even remember I was in the finals." Shikamaru smirked back and the two stared for what seemed a long time before the man went back to drinking and Shikamaru was quietly laughing to himself.

"Choji's told me about you to." The large red head leaned over and patted his back firmly, jolting Naruto momentarily. "Someone who can keep up with an Akimichi appetite! I couldn't believe it."

"Hehe…well we did kinda always shared stashes."

"Good lad." The man laughed and pointed at the remaining feast before them. "Eat up! Consider this an early victory feast! You too Shikamaru! You're too scrawny like your old man."

Naruto was not exactly sure what was going on. He had mentally braced himself for mumbled words and hateful glares. Instead these three men had easily roped him into whatever little festivities they had planned with their sons. Naruto glared up at Shikamaru still happily smirking to himself as he leaned up against the bar.

"_Don't dwell on it…enjoy yourself for once!" _His mind rebelled and he eagerly reached out for one of the dishes of seared pork that just made his stomach growl. "_Tomorrow you're probably going to get slaughtered anyway…" _

The men continued their happy banter, probably formed from years of being on a team together. Choji at one point, during a break waiting for the chef to cook up more food, explained that their dads were the original Ino-Shika-Cho, formation and that was why they had gotten stuck with Ino. He pointed to Shikaku, Choza and Inoichi, giving Naruto their names at last.

Sometimes the boys were drawn into whatever conversation the men had wandered upon in their happy haze and most of the time they were left alone. All in all it was a comfortable, enjoyable meal. About three hours later Naruto finally realized what time it was and began to dig for his wallet. He was crazy staying out like this the night before, even though he was pretty sure he would not sleep any, and hurried his apologies to the others.

It surprised him when Inoichi's hand reached out and stopped him from digging through the wallet for what seemed a fair amount of what he ate of Choji's and his father's 'feast'. The blond man patted his arm, drawing his eyes to him.

"Don't worry about it Naruto, I've got it. My daughter didn't want to come with us, it seems unfair I'm not paying my way fully tonight." The man nodded when Naruto began shaking his head no to protest. "I'm glad Shikamaru asked for you to come along, it was a pleasure to meet you myself Naruto, I'll tell my wife you said hi."

Naruto's eyes darted to Shikamaru grinning like a mad hatter at him. _"We'll form our own squad without her." _Shikamaru had done this on purpose! Why though? Why the lazy bum would have gone to all this trouble? What the hell was he trying to pull here?

In the end no answers would be given…ever…and he could only numbly offer a thousand thanks before hurrying out of the establishment afraid he was going to embarrass himself further. Once he got outside he darted to the side of the wall and just leaned there for a few minutes trying to process what had just happened.

"Having fun Naruto?"

Naruto turned his head and found Ririshii sitting up, that lupine grin of his and his tail wagging. But it was not the shepherd that spoke, it was a little dour pug perched atop his head.

"Pakkun?"

"Heh, long time no see runt, though I guess you've gone and replaced me."

"No, I never…" Naruto sputtered for a moment but was met with a hardy laugh and a little nibble from the pug that told him to stop. "What are you doing here Pakkun?"

"Kakashi sent me to give you a little message. 'Don't worry; we'll be there….eventually." Pakkun recited faithfully, his own grin spreading as he did. "He and that Sasuke kid are going to pull a prank of sorts."

"Oh I see he just wants to be late as always." Naruto slid down the wall and laughed a little bit. Maybe he was finally rubbing off on Kakashi a bit.

Pakkun leapt down and rubbed up against Naruto's hand briefly. "He also says good luck, he'll be watching."

* * *

**Author Note x2: **Yeah I know…seriously…what the hell …. Stupid plot bunnies that aren't relevant yet…making it hard to write what I need to write. But fun fun!!! Now for the final rounds! ^_^. Okay a COUPLE of points that I know might come up. 1. Yeah I didn't have him summon up Gamabunta that first time. That is for strategic reasons… or reasons that I find strategic. That whole convo during the fight with Gaara between Naruto and Gamakichi and Gamabunta makes more sense when 'Bunta's never met Naruto….. yeah…trust me it'll make sense when you see it. 2. Jiraiya still shoved him off the cliff. Yep… up till shippuuden Jiraiya seems wayyyy too interested in having Naruto use it until of course he nearly gets his ass handed to him and gets that manly scar on his chest later on…so I figured he'd still have that mindset. 3. Hmmm there is no 3… Off and away to try to start the next one or write more of the rabid plot monster.


	18. Bloodlines and Hard Work

**The Fox and the Hound**

Chapter 14: Bloodlines and Hard Work

Chapter Summary: The day has finally come for the finalists to prove their skill. Who will advance and who will fail?

Author Note: Man…14 chapters already on this bad boy…who would have thought. Secondly, I thought I should share a little coincidence today that prompted me to get off my ass and start working on the chapter. Yesterday at work, I was bored and it was morning and I happen to notice, taking a bee line towards the line of bushes between our parking lot and a little gazebo that belongs to the city, a very large 'cat'. I mean it was huge. I was watching this thing trot along and I'm in amazement of just its gait and its size. Then I kinda take note of its color…all russet orange…and its pointed ears….finally to its tail as it scurried under the bushes… man it was bushy.

Something in my brain finally popped open and said…dumbass it's a fox!!! I kinda grabbed a pair of binoculars from the shelves, went out to the parking lot and crouch down and peered through and sure enough it's a fox hiding under our bushes. I was just surprised to see it…where I live there aren't many sightings of wildlife except for deer (and those are normally seen just as they jump into your car hood) and I've only seen a fox one other time when driving up to school sitting on the side of the road in farm country.

So of course, as the dork that I am, I smile and say hi Naruto and go about my day, every so often checking to see if it's darted off or not. I wasn't sure what to do and who to call and I'm really hoping he hung out there till dark when it's not so busy cause I'd hate to think it would get hit by a car or something.

Side Note: Windows 7 deserves props. For once Microsoft you did not make this as painful as pulling teeth and ZOMG I SALUTE YOU for me now being able to lock two windows side by side without resizing the hell outta them. (And also for the Gadgets…and themes…. Etc. etc.) Still 3189 songs are a bitch to move.

* * *

The next morning came way too quickly. As Naruto predicted he hardly slept. He merely lay in bed and stared up at his littered ceiling and continued to mull over in his head about his match. Hyuuga was going to hand him his ass of that he was certain.

But then he remembered Gai-sensei and the little encounter at the hospital the day before. Gai and Lee were going to be there, even though Lee had never woken during the whole thing. Gai said they were both excited to see his match against Neji.

"_I should have never listened to that pervert." _Naruto groaned as he finally threw himself up in the pre-dawn hours and went about finding food and a way to prepare himself. "_I should have just gone about my own damn business and maybe found Gai-sensei. He would have taught me something… anything…better than that old man." _

Still he felt he had some advantages. Neji would maybe underestimate him. Sure he showed himself pretty well against Kiba but Naruto was also going to be leaving Ririshii out of this match. Maybe without the dog with him Neji would drop some of his guard.

With the seals in place he could in theory go for more jutsu and his shadows clones, and have a reserve to fall back on if and when he hit his limit. That was all he had really. A lot of chakra, ability to produce a good deal of clones, and the limited understanding of Lee's fighting technique that he had been able to pick up in just the few times they sparred and during Lee's own preliminary battle.

He just wished that he felt a little more confident.

After finishing a quick breakfast and showering, he began digging through gear and clothing. Ririshii curled up on his bed and sad brown eyes gazed up at him as he ran his hand through damp hair, causing the spikes to spread and fluff slightly.

"Riri…" Naruto frowned finally, finding he could no longer avoid the gaze of the animal. "Don't look at me like that… you and I both know it's for the best this way."

"That doesn't mean I have to like it." Ririshii snarled slightly and stuck his nose to the offending leg. "Remind me to bite Kiba next we see him, as repayment."

"By all means." Naruto chuckled. "Anyway this is Neji; I highly doubt he'd fall for that bushin trick."

"True. But then what is your strategy."

"Shadow clones."

"That's it?"

"It's all I got isn't it?" Naruto shrugged and began heading out the door. The festivities did not start until the afternoon, giving guests and dignitary's time to arrive in grand fashion and get good seats before the general population was allowed in for seating.

Ririshii whined and lowered his head and tail as they walked down the hallways of the apartment building and began heading for the streets. Naruto was not eager to find the training grounds or anything else for that matter, he was just looking to scope out the arriving guests. Wasting his energy in something like training now would be counterproductive.

The streets were alive by the time he hit them. People were scurrying about in animated fashion and merchants were setting up booths and food vendors were preparing their wares for the influx of new people. If anything this was not just a chance for the Ninja to show off, it was for the various artisans and cooks of Konoha.

Naruto took to just walking around leisurely and keeping an eye on those around him. It was odd seeing things this busy this early in the morning. Usually if he was up and about at this time it was him and Riri and few others out in the early morning light.

"Hey! Good luck today!" Naruto flinched a bit before turning to see a nearby shop owner waving out his window. He frowned a little but waved back and hurried his step a bit. It was odd and unnerving; usually the man merely frowned after him or just ignored him.

As he came to more familiar haunts he saw others were taking glances at him and some pointing and whispering to their friends. Oddly enough they were not the usual stares or angry, whispered words of warning; they were explaining who he was and that he was in the finals.

"What the hell?" Naruto muttered as he hunched his shoulders a bit more and began heading for the Hokage Monument.

"Everyone is excited for the finals." Riri perked up and wagged his tail a little.

"That doesn't explain why they're happy I'M in the finals, Riri, unless they're hoping I get killed."

"Maybe, maybe not." Riri shrugged his shoulders oddly and then took the lead, guessing easily where Naruto was headed. "But either way they are happy and you should take advantage of it."

"Great, you too." Naruto huffed a little and began to race with Ririshii a little. The shepherd barked after him as he leapt to the rooftops. They had their fun, exchanging the lead a few different times, and finally Naruto was the first to land atop the familiar spiky head of the mountain.

He always came here, he was not sure why. Whenever he would stay out to think or to experiment he would always swing by the heads and stand on the Fourth's head. He never had a reason but he always likened it to the way Kakashi always went to the memorial stone almost every morning during his younger years and only once a week now; it was a habit.

The view was great though. He could see all of Konoha from this perch. Maybe that was the draw in it; he could keep an eye on things and see how the village was reacting without being seen. He sat on the edge of the rock facing and grinned a little, seeing a small procession moving through the gates. People were already lining up around the streets to watch as horses and ox pulled along carriages and covered platforms, presumably lords and other important people come to watch the festivities.

It was so weird to see all the commotion for just this bit of parade but people were excited and eager for just a glimpse of one of the lords coming in.

"Important people" Ririshii came to sit right beside him, the shepherd still a bit taller than him when they were sitting. His large head peered over the edge carefully and then out to the parade.

"The Third said they were letting everyone know so they could come and see who was the stronger village." Naruto agreed. "Seems weird."

"Only because you're still young." Iruka's familiar voice came from behind and Naruto whirled around to smile at the older man. "You'll understand eventually that a lot of what we do is for show. Showing you have the stronger forces does wonders sometimes."

"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto grinned up at the man and then down to the village. "Aren't you supposed to be at the academy?"

"Not for another half hour yet." Iruka came to sit down beside Naruto, grinned a little stretching the scar across his nose. "Lucky for me you're predictable."

"Figured I'd be here huh?" Naruto replied sheepishly, kicking his feet a little.

"Yeah, figured you'd be nervous or at least a little worried." Iruka glanced over to him and then ruffled his hair. "I came to wish you good luck! And remember, even Neji has a weak spot."

"Question is can I figured it out before he beats me in the ground." Naruto frowned. "Of all the people I pick him right off the bat."

"I think it's an excellent opportunity for you to show us what we've been missing all this time."

Naruto glanced sideways to his former sensei and sighed. "Kakashi keeps saying the same thing. I just don't know there are too many what ifs."

"You'll never know unless you try, Naruto and I think you'll be surprised."

Naruto nodded a little and took back to watching the village. He wondered idly if the village could accept him on any level and if so they would do so if he showed he was able to protect this place? The man at the shop just moments earlier seemed to have a better perception of him just because of this final…

"You'll do fine, I'm sure of it." Iruka ruffled his hair again. "You don't necessarily have to win to pass this part."

"I feel like I wasted this whole month." Naruto sighed heavily and looked over at the Chuunin. "Whatever I did doesn't feel like enough."

"Hmm, well you were always hard on yourself." Iruka shrugged and glanced below them. "But you're under playing your greatest strength: you adapt pretty quick."

Naruto merely returned his gaze to the small parade of dignitaries and fellow village leaders; his hand rubbing at Riri's shoulders absent-mindedly. So what if he adapted? What did that do for him?

"Anyways, good luck." Iruka began after the small drag of silence, standing and grinning once more. "You'll be fine. I look forward to hearing about your match."

"Thanks Iruka." Naruto called after him and smiled up at the Chuunin. "We'll go for ramen yah?"

"Sure."

In a poof the chuunin was gone again. Naruto almost wished he had stayed a little longer but figured they all had somewhere to be and stood himself. Sitting around worrying was not going to help matters. He decided that at least walking around, distracting himself would be the best policy.

With Ririshii beside him not many approached but some did call out to him as he returned himself to the bustle of the streets.

"Good luck!"  
"Show them what Konoha is made of!"

Again Naruto frowned in confusion as people began to smile and wave to him, some variation of 'good luck' coming from their lips.

"_What the hell is wrong with me? This is what I wanted wasn't it?" _he pondered idly as he treaded along familiar pathways. It was probably the reason he was so confused. Every since he was little he could remember people just not liking him and up till this year he never had a real reason for that dislike. Even when he had the reason tucked away in a little corner of his mind Naruto still found himself rebelling against it and wanting more reason behind the mistreatment.

But with people now smiling at him and recognizing him something felt off. His mind suddenly wanted to rebel against that idea too. There was something about this sudden recognition that made him feel weird.

"_It's too sudden… they're just trying to trick me…what if they really are okay with me being in the finals?"_

"You worry too much." Ririshii snorted beside him, bringing Naruto back out of his thoughts and back to the reality around him. The dog had a very good point and Naruto straightened, smiled, and began to act as if it did not bother him.

But it still did. Perhaps despite wanting to be accepted and needed after all these years his brain was too stubborn and he was too distrustful of others to even consider relearning all of those habits he had learned to dodge all the dislike.

By the time his mind had looped back around to the idea of facing Neji again, Naruto was downtown, standing around looking hopeless and the sun was slowly inching its way towards mid-day; which meant it was almost time to head towards the inevitable.

Luckily he caught sight of a familiar spiky ponytail and rushed forward. "Oi! Shikamaru!! Wait up!"

Shikamaru turned lazily; raising an eyebrow as Naruto came rushing up the street. He threw his hands behind his neck and sighed heavily as Naruto slung his arm around his back and began grinning wildly. "Jees, I didn't expect you to be this early."

"Eh, gotta get up in enough time to let the grogginess wear off don't I?" Naruto chuckled and let Shikamaru go, taking up the same pace as the lazy boy. "Hey where's Choji?"

"He went to find Ino. She'd have a fit if he did not go sit with her." Shikamaru eyed him suspiciously for a second. "I think Ino was dragging Sakura along too."

"Why drag her? It's not like Sakura would miss it."

"Well cause it's not fun being crazy about Sasuke if you're alone." Shikamaru shrugged. "How should I know, girls are stupid."

They walked along in silence, Ririshii bringing up their rear. Naruto was still glad that Shikamaru was not making it a habit to be prying into his business despite knowing Naruto was hiding stuff. Instead the lazy genius decided Naruto was a worthy puzzle and was trying to figure it out on his own. Naruto was okay with that set up and yet feared if Shikamaru ever came up with the right theory.

"So do you have a plan against Neji or you just winging it?" Shikamaru finally broke the silence as the arena came into view.

"Aw c'mon Shikamaru, you know me better than that."

"Winging it then." Shikamaru sighed and let his arms drop to the side.

"Guess you do know." Naruto flashed a big grin. "What about you? You're up against that Sound guy from the forest and this time neither of us has a team backing us up."

"I've got a few tricks of my own. Just because I'm lazy doesn't mean I'm stupid, you dolt."

"Could've fooled me." Naruto winked back and turned his focus on the arena, now looming over them both. They both took the time to stand there looking up at the large red dome of the arena and both could hear the heightened voices coming from within. You could almost feel the excitement in the air.

"Well guess we better go in." Shikamaru sighed and began walking through the large opened doorways. "This is going to be so troublesome."

"No kidding." Naruto stuffed his hands in the pockets of his plain jacket and glanced back at Ririshii. "Hey Riri, why don't you find Sakura? She'd probably like the company."

"He's not fighting with you?" Shikamaru blinked back as the dog nodded and shot for the stands.

"Nah, his leg's still stiff."

"Your funeral man."

As they went along they were ushered by more chuunin, set to act as guards or proctors, neither Naruto nor Shikamaru could guess. Finally they were pushed out into the large open space in the middle of the arena where many of the other contestants were already standing. Some turned to watch their arrival and others merely stood near the proctor standing front and center.

Naruto immediately realized there were people missing and guessing by Shikamaru's frown, so did he.

"Where do you think Sasuke is?" Naruto muttered over to Shikamaru who began glancing around the high cement walls towards the stands and around at the scattered bushes and trees the arena had on ground level.

"Hmm, I'm fighting Dosu and he's missing too."

A small tendril of doubt crept into Naruto's gut, despite remembering Pakkun's arrival last night after leaving the restaurant. Part of him knew Sasuke was alright with Kakashi but what if he was not really? What if somewhere between Pakkun's visit and now Orochimaru had returned and Kakashi was hurt somewhere and Sasuke long gone?

"Hey, knock it off." The proctor turned to face them both and Naruto noticed the change immediately. It was not Hayate like it had been for the preliminaries, it was another Jounin with a toothpick in his mouth. "Quit your fidgeting, you two. Stand up straight and present yourselves proudly to the spectators."

Naruto did as he was told and began scanning around the large arena walls. For the first time it hit him just how many spectators there were and it was daunting. There were cheers and claps from all angles and he could only hazard as to how many people sat up high watching each and every turn of events in this circle full of dirt and trees.

Out of the corner of his one eye he caught something red. He turned slightly and could see near one of the entrances a tall man with stark white hair leaning against the doorframe. It almost made his blood boil seeing the old man standing there watching as well. What right did he have to even be there?

And yet something about the pervert's presence seemed encouraging; almost comforting. So Naruto merely snarled and turned his attention back to those around him. With the exception of Sasuke and Dosu everyone was present and it had to appear to the spectators that it was Leaf vs. Sand in this final.

"_The three Sand Shinobi and us four Leaf Shinobi." _Naruto glanced momentarily to the red-headed Sand Shinobi and shivered. He could see the rage just bubbling underneath that cool and calm exterior and it was probably because Sasuke was missing. _"Maybe if nii-san and Sasuke are smart they'll stay away, wait till next year…that guy is going to murder him…" _

"Welcome all!" The Third's loud voice broke Naruto's concentration and he glanced up to one of the larger housings around the walls. Atop it he could make out three to four figures, two of them wearing robes and hats. "And our deepest thanks for coming here to the Village Hidden in the Leaves for this year's Chuunin selection. We have come to the final competition between the eight candidates who made it through the preliminaries…"

"_Shit that must mean we're about to get started." _Naruto felt his gut clench uncertainly as the Third continued on with his speech.

"We ask that no one leaves until all the matches have been conducted. Now everyone enjoy!"

The crowds began to cheer as the Hokage returned to his seat next to another Kage. As the crowd cheered and carried on the proctor turned and began digging in his vest.

"There's one more thing before we get started." He mumbled around the toothpick, or senbon, sticking out of his mouth. He pulled out a piece of paper and flipped it open in front of them all. It was the tournament bracket from before only it had been changed. "Look it over. There's been a slight change in the matchups. But now it's set, so everyone take a last look at who you'll be facing."

"So that Dosu guy dropped out." Shikamaru muttered. "Great I'm up against the girl."

Naruto wanted to snicker at Shikamaru's predicament but he caught the slightest of movements just down the line from Gaara. At the mention of the Sound Ninja's name his hand had tightened and he had begun growling under his breath. Naruto swallowed hard and shook his head. Something told him that Dosu had not dropped out.

"Alright, listen up. The terrain's different but the rules are the same as before. That is there are no rules. The match continues until one candidate acknowledges defeat or dies. That being said if I determine a match is over I can step in and stop the fight and no arguments permitted. Understood?"

All seven of them gave short nods of acknowledgement to the proctor now in front of them. He was much more direct and forward than Hayate had been but in some way that was better, there were no pauses as Hayate recovered from a hacking fit and the explanation was straight forward. Still it had Naruto trying to figure out where Hayate had gone. The other man had proclaimed himself proctor of the third exam, not the preliminaries.

"The first match is between Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Neji. Those two stay here and the rest of you head up to the waiting area. "

"Good luck man, you're going to need it." Shikamaru muttered before following after the others to a nearby stairwell.

As soon as everyone was away both Neji and Naruto turned to face one another. The Hyuuga did not seem a bit phased or worried about this match. If anything he seemed self-assured of his victory. It made Naruto bristle and he glared at the older boy.

Briefly Sakura had given him a rundown of what had happened during the preliminaries. Neji had gone up against Hinata; his own cousin. From all accounts it had been brutal and Neji had been stopped towards the end of the match by all of the Leaf Jounin present, including Kakashi. Sakura was unsure what Neji was about to do or why everyone stopped him, but as Sakura put it Neji had seemed livid. It almost seemed like he had something against Hinata too. Afterwards Hinata had been rushed off by the medical ninja and no one had seen her until earlier in the week.

"_He did that to someone from his family…that he could hurt someone from his own family so badly…"_

"You got anything to say to me?"

Naruto began to growl, the nerves converting into pure adrenaline. Instead of taking the usual bait, sure that Neji had probably tried to figure out what he could about Naruto during the month they had, Naruto merely raised his right hand; the fingers stiffly pointed up towards the sky, and slid his feet in the dirt until he was sure that he emulated Lee.

At this Neji began to chuckle lightly, closing his eyes briefly. "I see… you and Lee truly are alike aren't you?" When Neji's eyes opened again the veins around his face began to bulge and center around his pupil-less eyes. "You honestly believe he is a prodigy of hard work."

"I'll win, just you watch." Naruto frowned, seeing how easily Neji dismissed his own teammate. Just watching his smug smirk as those eyes bore through him just drove the adrenaline higher. "I'm not the idiot everyone thinks I am."

"Heh. All the better for me then. I can't wait to see the look of despair on your face when you realize what Lee has, that all of your hard work is for nothing." Neji's smirk turned feral. "Once a failure, always a failure."

Naruto grinned himself, almost giddy by now from the entire change of emotions. The wind picked up and tossed both of their hair around and got a rise from their audience as Neji dropped into his own stance, one more familiar as a Hyuuga than Gai's.

"We just going to talk all day or are we going to get started?"

"Alright then, let the first match begin!" the proctor proclaimed and darted back and away from the two combatants.

For a second there was just calm quiet. Both stared at one another with intently trained eyes and a similar mindset: to win. There could be all things wrong with this scenario; they were both Leaf Ninja and they should not be fighting but something in Neji's little prods told Naruto he cared very little for those around him; including fellow Shinobi.

"_Those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash." _Naruto remembered Kakashi saying once and Neji certainly seemed like the type to do so.

Finally when things boiled down and Naruto could no longer hold the stare he pushed off with his back foot and shoved forward, his hands jabbing just like he would have with Lee. Neji's own position changed, very little, but as he came streaking forward it seemed the other boy was poised to counter.

He ducked and pivoted just as he got near to Neji and tried coming from around the back but the same result was elicited. Faintly Naruto could swear he heard Kiba yelling in the distance…_"A frontal attack will never work!" _

Instead of taking that advice Naruto kept up with what he had planned. Still each fist, each outstretched leg was deflected and Neji barely seemed to move from the one spot he had started in. He snarled, began trying to up his speed and found that he was at least getting closer to striking at Neji. That might have been a ploy though because a few seconds after his near hit he saw one of Neji's hands change shape and aim for his arm.

"Naruto look out!!!" Sakura's voice rang in his ears clear as day and he hit the dirt rolling in a bid to avoid being hit by the outstretched hand. It was another of Sakura's helpful tips; what those eyes did. Hyuuga could shut off chakra points with their specific style of combat and that was more than likely what Neji was trying to do to force him out of the fight.

"_Well shit, if I get too close he can shut off a point and take away any jutsu I might use. But to fight him from a distance?? Aren't the rumors how Hyuuga have 360 degree vision? " _

"Do you understand now?" Neji returned to his ready position, sneering down at Naruto as he came up in a low crouch. "You have no way of beating me."

"Wrong words to choose pal." Naruto snarled back and stood, raising his hands in front of him. "Never tell me no. Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Naruto had to admit feeling a little rusty on this particular technique but it was the best choice he had for fighting from a distance. With enough clones he could overwhelm Neji and take aim from afar.

"_But he's going to think that's the plan." _Naruto thought as he mingled among the good thirty clones he had produced. "_He can't tell which one since we're evenly split but he will assume I'll stay far away so not to get hit by his attack." _

So what to do? Naruto had his idea and went with it. He stayed back as more clones went forward. One did land a hit and Neji went airborne but his decent took out a good five clones in itself. The prodigy then proceeded to dismiss the others that tried to bull-rush him. Again those white eyes turned on Naruto and glared.

"You are a fool! These eyes of mine show me many things. The most important thing they have shown me is that people's limitations are set, fixed, and unchangeable. Only a fool wastes his time trying to become something he can never be. "

"A fool huh. Who are you to judge people? What gives you that right?"

"Oh? Do you think anyone can be Hokage?" Neji's words cut hard. So he had discovered Naruto's little dream had he? "That all it takes is a little 'hard work'? That's foolish. Of all the Shinobi in all the world think how few ever become Kage. They were born, destined to be Hokage. They were chosen by destiny. Each person is given their own path to follow and they must follow it."

"Then you're a fool." Naruto cut Neji off and snarled. "To think you can't change your own destiny?"

Instead of continuing on the two decided to start again. Naruto once more brought up his fingers and summoned as many clones as he thought he could. Again they rushed forward for Neji who merely smiled and began to deflect and dismiss the unwanted distractions.

"You can keep trying but a simple trick like this won't work on me. I know which one you are." He yelled as he blazed through a line of clones, bee lining straight for one towards the back. His hands became rigid and as he got close his hand stuck into the shoulder of his target. "You're the one keeping out of range for fear of me striking your chakra points. I told you it was pointless."

"And I told you to just watch."

The clone dissipated as intended, having held on much longer than Naruto believed it could have after being struck in such a fashion. Before Neji could recover he and his remaining clones came up from behind, trapping him between them. As Naruto neared, fist outstretched, he felt happy to have deceived the Hyuuga prodigy, but it was short lived.

Just as they neared, him and his clone, they halted before they actually touched Neji himself. Instead the feeling of resistance before Neji did an odd sort of twirl and the both of them were flying away. As he sat up he saw the small indentation where Neji stood and snarled.

"What the hell…"

"Do you really think it'd be that easy?"

"_That was either a fluke or something he can do." _Naruto crouched and formed more clones around him. They all surrounded the dark-haired opponent and watched for any twitch that would give away what it was but saw nothing. As they went forward to punch, however, Neji moved. All of them went flying back and Naruto could best describe the feeling as being slapped away with Chakra.

"_So he's doing it on purpose. He can discharge chakra like Kakashi did with the mist, only this time it's more focused…" _

Naruto's moment of concentration cost him and Neji was coming forward with both hands out, finger tips pointed straight at him and began 'hitting' him with a force that should have broken his fingers but only seemed to cut Naruto deeper and deeper as he counted through the 'palms' he was using.

"64 Palms!"

Just as that was uttered Naruto hit the dirt hard and Neji backed away. Naruto snarled and gripped at the dirt feeling like something had sucked the breath out of him. He struggled to move and found it was hard to even breathe let alone stand back up.

"It's frustrating isn't it? To see how futile it all was?" Neji's voice drove into his head like nails. The older teen stood just a few feet away and taunted him from above. "You and Lee thought you could succeed through hard work alone but that's only an illusion you both give yourselves."

Naruto pushed off the ground harshly, wincing as he did so. He got to a standing position despite the screaming of his legs and arms and focused in on the dark-haired teen before him.

"Guess your digging didn't tell you I'm too stupid to give up." He mocked Neji as the Neji gaped at him with widened eyes.

"Stop this madness, I'll only give you more of the same. I have nothing against you personally."

"Oh yeah? Well I've got something personal against you. You think you're so much better because of that bloodline of yours. You even hurt your own family member to prove yourself! What kind of jerk hurts a member of their family?"

"Family?!" Naruto's words struck a mark and any resemblance of calm Neji had before vanished as he furrowed his brow and his voice raised. "You call her my family? You have no idea about the Hyuuga Clan's heritage of hatred do you?! For generations the Main Household of the Clan has practiced a secret ninjutsu that is a curse mark."

"A curse mark?" Naruto instantly thought about the one on Sasuke's neck. Was someone in the village marked similarly?

Neji reached up and fingered his headband and released its hold around his forehead. As it dropped Naruto stared at the odd marking banding Neji's forehead. "It is a mark resembling a bird locked in a cage. It is a mark of those bound to a destiny they cannot escape."

Subconsciously Naruto reached down and clutched at his gut. He also wanted to take a glance at Gaara but did not think turning his eyes away from Neji was a good idea. Here in front of him was another person with some mark branding them.

"When I was four years old the leaders of our clan branded me with this mark." Neji went on, his eyebrows twitching and the frown deepening. Neji turned his head slightly up to the rafters above them. "Up there is Lord Hiashi, Lady Hinata's father. He and my father, Hizashi were twin brothers and yet since he entered into the world first, he is head of the family and my father was banished to the lesser branch family."

"What's the point in that? Why have a branch family at all!" Naruto found himself demanding to understand.

"Heh, we are only to serve as protectors of our great bloodline and its power. We live to serve the Main Household. This curse mark is to make sure we do so without question. At any time they could turn our brains to jelly if we so much as disagree. I watched this happen to my own father when his life was taken to protect Lord Hiashi's."

Naruto snarled and pulled on the coat he had decided to wear. He could barely move and it assumed it was because of the points Neji had already hit. _"maybe with the seals I can force those points back open…at least in my arms." _

He tossed the gray jacket aside and gripped at his one shoulder, pretending to be hurting while listening to Neji. "I get it, you were born into a family of jerks but that has nothing to do with destiny. You can change your fate and your life. That is what Lee taught me."

"You will never understand." Neji was placing his headband back around the mark he so desperately covered. "To know that you are branded…"

"Cry me a river; you're not the only one." Naruto snapped. "Everyone deals with something. But instead of lying down and accepting it you could fight it and make your life better. That is what Lee and I believe and we'll continue to believe that."

Naruto tried to keep the focus away from his arm because as he silently released the seal he felt something akin to warm water running down his arm and it did not feel as stiff or immobile. But Neji could see Chakra and its points and if he decided to focus on Naruto fully he would realize what it was Naruto was doing.

Neji came forward at a breakneck speed. Naruto let loose his arm and put it and the other in front of him in a vain attempt to block but that was what Neji wanted and he was forced back. Yet Naruto did not feel the jarring sensation of before and smiled a little to himself. Neji had not noticed yet how easily he had moved an arm. The Hyuuga backed away and began to attack again but Naruto pushed away and reached up to the other arm and its seal.

"_Release." _He whispered quietly and tried to keep a few steps ahead of Neji. "_How to force him down. He's obviously stronger than me and he has those eyes…" _

"You shouldn't be able to move!" Neji was snarling as he kept blocking and getting away. "How is this possible?"

Suddenly a light bulb clicked on in Naruto's head and he blinked at the ground.

"_Hey Naruto, if your enemy is not above, behind, or around you where is he?"  
"Below!" _

One by one Naruto began to pull up shadow clones. It took a lot more concentration than it normally did but he was able due to the seals he had used to force open a few of the points Neji had closed off. He got them going but Neji apparently could see the difference this time because he came straight for the real thing.

Neji's palm came crashing into his chest and Naruto felt the jar that time and could not help but cough from the lack of oxygen in his lungs. He kept his feet but he knew that any work he had just done to open points had been driven off again and he was really hurting this time.

He was now dead in the water.

"_Whelp all roads lead to this one I suppose." _Naruto frowned down at his feet then up to the Hyuuga boy, smirking proudly about his 'win'. The drive was still there to win and to prove Neji wrong; anyone who believed their destiny was set in stone had to be wrong… if he quit, if he acknowledged Neji was right… "_Destiny wanted me to be miserable, but something changed that…I can't let him win, I can't…but my chakra…"_

And then the terrible option presented itself to him.

The seals did not work because Neji merely had to reclose what he opened. Now he was cut off from his chakra. _"But what if I drew on __**its**__ chakra? What if I did like in the ravine? Would that force all of them open…I wonder if it looks different or if he would just think I was doing something stupid?"_

The more and more he thought about it the more he cursed Jiraiya. On one hand was the total desire to just ignore that it existed. On the other hand was the fact that the extra boost probably would even his odds. If he could just keep luring Neji he could maneuver him to a place he could trick him. Had Naruto never met the pervert he would have never had this option to deal with, and the implications of either choice reverberated off of his skull like ping pong balls.

He shut his eyes momentarily and began to think about it hard and this time he actively sought out the fox and its cage. When he found it he found only the dark red eyes peering out from behind and they stared at one another for what seemed eternity. _"I don't want to do this…"_

"_**As if I am overjoyed by the fact that a runt like you is using my power." **_The red eyes narrowed and focused in on Naruto. "_**But there is a mutual benefit here that neither one of us can deny. And as I see it you are out of options. So either quit or ask for my chakra and be out of my sight." **_

"_I don't quit." _

Naruto pulled his hands up into the Ram sign and began to concentrate harder. The fox had just pointed out Naruto's answer and as wrong as it felt, as scared of it as he was; that was his answer: he did not quit. Even if he found some way around the attack Neji had crippled him with and he advanced to the next rounds, he would still be at this disadvantage and he would have to bow out eventually unless he found a way to re-open what was closed.

He felt it again, the rising tidal wave and noted the difference between Haku, the Ravine, and this situation in feeling. The first time he had 'accidently' drawn on the fox's chakra had been terrifying. It was pure, raw rage and he had no control over it at all. The second time was pure adrenaline and need, he regained a bit of his control. This time he held a small degree more of his control.

"Why fight a hopeless battle?" Neji's voice came from ahead of him and Naruto began to snarl louder. "This is your destiny."

"No its not." Naruto opened his eyes to glare at Neji, still smug and confident in his position. "and I'm going to prove you wrong."

Naruto began to feel what was described as a small pop, as the chakra seemed to work its way around him. The look on Neji's face turned from smug to almost shock. It was telling and Naruto could hazard a guess that his gambit was working. He once more brought up his hand and dropped into stance and began to count backwards from ten.

When he finally hit one he pushed off with his foot and this time he felt the difference immediately. It almost felt like he was flying as Neji responded to his threat by reactivating his eyes and getting ready to do his rotation again just as Naruto slung out a handful of small shuriken.

When he hit the cement walls Naruto pushed off again, heading for the boy's close quarters. He saw the slight kick from Neji's foot and knew that he would again twirl about and deflect the oncoming attack but in truth that was what Naruto wanted. As they hit, he snarled at the boy of him and tried to get his kunai to hit.

They both went flying away from one another and Naruto winced when he smacked the hard dirt. It did not mean he was slacking and went along with his plan. It was a useful thing he finally picked up from Kakashi and was now going to put it to good use. Once he was done preparing he just lay there in the small crater he had just created from impact and waited. Neji liked to taunt and prod, so the older teen would be coming to gloat over top of him.

The sound of coughing finally met his ears and he tensed up and tried to move as little as he could. He had to pull this off otherwise he would have to concede defeat. Slowly footsteps approached him, scuffing in the up heaved earth around them. The steps stopped to only be replaced by heavy panting.

"I'm sorry." The admittance almost sounded sincere to Naruto. It was hard to tell with his eyes closed but Neji did sound somewhat sorry about what he had done. "But this is reality…"

That was when Naruto sprung his trap. He came flying out of the ground with his left hand above him in a fist. He used any and all force he could muster and soon his knuckles were meeting with Neji's chin as he tried to get back away from him. Neji flew backwards as Naruto came to a stop, panting just as heavily as Neji had been.

"Impossible, I can't move." Neji was frowning and trying to get back up as Naruto strode over to the prone form. "It's not possible."

"Anything's possible." Naruto frowned as he came to stand beside one of Neji's arms. "You can change whatever you put your mind to. You aren't the only one who's cursed."

Naruto pulled his shirt and gear out away from his skin a little, revealing his stomach underneath. Neji had to be able to see it from his perspective and after Jiraiya had pointed it out to Naruto himself he knew it had to be there because he was still molding chakra. Once he was sure Neji had gotten a good look he knelt down and locked eyes with the Hyuuga prodigy.

"You're the failure for just lying down and giving up. Once I'm Hokage, I'll change the ways of the Hyuuga, just you watch."

"The winner is Uzumaki Naruto." The proctor proclaimed before Naruto even had a chance to stand up. As soon as it was announced the whole arena went wild and started cheering. _Cheering…_

"Way to go kid." The proctor muttered very lowly as he passed by him to motion for the medical ninja probably assigned to help any injured off the field. Naruto could not really focus on the compliment as he blinked up to the stands. They were all cheering…for _him. _

Suddenly he felt very sheepish just standing there and made a move to exit to the waiting area. The nerves that had been tucked away behind pure drive came back to haunt him and he wanted out of their eager gazes as soon as he could. It was unnerving and he had not felt the urge to 'hide' for several years now but right this second he just felt raw.

He relaxed marginally as he came slinking up behind Shikamaru and tucked himself close to the wall and somewhat away from the other Leaf Genin present. Shino did not turn his head but Shikamaru was gaping at him like he had grown another head.

"What the hell was that?" Shikamaru demanded, gripping the metal railing in front of him. "I thought you and me were alike man. Now everyone's gonna be saying all sorts of things and thinking you're going somewhere. Man what a drag."

"Doesn't mean you have to Nara." Naruto mumbled though he smirked. "Anyway I just didn't want my face in the dirt anymore. Guy ticked me off."

"No kidding...." Shikamaru sighed. "Still, what the hell was that at the end? Where'd you pull up all that chakra?"

"What a guy can't pretend?"

That silenced Shikamaru pretty quickly and Naruto swore he heard the slightest of huffs from Shino. He leaned over the railings, enjoying the let down from the fight and watching as the cheers turned to boos and jeers because the next round was not starting immediately. By the bracket they were shown, Gaara and Sasuke were up next but Sasuke was still absent.

Naruto took a moment to glance over to the three Sand Ninja and shuddered to find that Gaara's teal eyes had become wide and focused on him. His trick was noticed by the only other person to understand just what it was.

As the minutes drug on the crowd began getting unruly until another Leaf Nin came down to speak with the proctor before easily slipping away again.

"Listen up!" the proctor yelled out just as the other left. "One of the opponents from the next battle hasn't arrived yet so we're just going to go on to the match that would have followed this one. Shino and Kankuro come down here."

Shino, whom Naruto knew very little about because he was just plain creepy, reached out and was making a move to comply with the request. The Sand Ninja with the puppets looked freaked and before Shino could fully move he straightened.

"Proctor I withdraw!"

"Wha?"

The withdrawal really upset the crowd and some people began to throw objects out to show their displeasure. Shino's shoulders hunched a little and his gaze darted over to where the painted Sand Ninja stood.

"I withdraw so please advance to the next round."

"What NO!" Shikamaru barked surprising Naruto. "He's gotta be kidding right? "

As the crowd became louder the other Sand Ninja present, Temari, pulled out her fan and whipped it around, flying down neatly to the arena floor. The proctor eyed her, sighed then glared up at Shikamaru. "Alright then, let's get this next match started. You up there, come down!"

"Aw come on man, what's up with moving these matches up like this? Why does it have to be my stupid turn." Shikamaru began to complain. "this is such a drag."

Naruto grinned wickedly and eagerly jumped up, slapped Shikamaru hard in the back, and watched the boy go flying down to the arena floor. "Alright Shikamaru! You can do it!!"

"You JERK!!!" Shikamaru yelled once he landed on his back below. Naruto ignored the glare. If he had not done anything Shikamaru would have stalled or backed out.

And there was no chance Naruto was going to stop pretending if Shikamaru wasn't coming with him.

* * *

"So explain this again."

Kakashi smirked beneath his mask as Sasuke stood above him in a tall tree just on the perimeter of the arena where the exams were taking place. Both of them had been there well before dawn but neither of them had budged from the tree.

The month of training had two key results. The first was skill. Sasuke proved he was more than capable and talented to do whatever he put his mind to. He did so with amazing speed and the limits to his capability was still unknown. The second one had been a little more unexpected.

"We're staying away from where I'm supposed to be because of a hunch?"

Kakashi nodded eagerly and flipped another page in his book. It was close to the fourth time he had read the same one but he had not thought to bring more with him on the month-long training exercise. The second result was that Sasuke had lost some of his attitude. It was either because he had grown accustomed to the boy or Sasuke had finally warmed up to him.

At the beginning of the month Sasuke's tone would have been much more annoyed and accusing but as it was now it merely sounded confused. Sasuke was confused by the action his teacher was taking and probably worried about being disqualified.

"And that hunch is…."

"You'll see." Kakashi muttered and shut the book. The cheers from the arena had died down exponentially and he could assume from the feeling around the place that another match had started. In all honesty he was not too comfortable with what had prompted the urge to hold Sasuke back other than the feeling in the back of his head that told him something was wrong.

First there was the mark and Orochimaru. Both had been silent as the dead since the initial attack and that just did not sit well with Kakashi. If Orochimaru wanted the boy so badly why was he not trying to prod Sasuke into making a choice between the village and the power he offered?

Second there was the Sand Genin Sasuke was meant to face. There was something obviously unhinged in the teen and in most cases the higher ups of a village would not present a ninja that unbalanced. Kakashi still cringed inwardly at how easily the red-head had moved the sand and how easily he was driven to kill. Normally hidden villages tried to cover up those who would reflect badly upon their village. Gaara seemed to have free reign to do as he pleased. The Genin had even tracked down he and Sasuke out on their training and Kakashi had visibly put himself between the sand and Sasuke. Something made the kid back down but Kakashi doubted seriously that if Gaara had found Sasuke alone a fight would have ensued.

The third reason was more instinctual and it still unsettled him. It was a basic common emotion that he should have been better at resolving away and controlling but it certainly did not stop him from coming up with the other two reasons as better excuses than this one:

He did not want to watch.

As much faith and belief Kakashi had in Naruto, logic dictated that Neji had most of the cards on his side. Neji was older and more experienced, he had his family's bloodline trait to such a degree that he was called a genius, and because of the politics of the Main and Branch families Neji would be more prone to take his aggression out on Naruto much like he almost did to his own cousin, Hinata.

Sure Jiraiya had seemed to take a vested interest in the blonde back when he had tracked Kakashi down and begun to ask hard questions but even if the Sannin had taken the blonde under his tutelage they only had a month together and Naruto was not Sasuke. He was smart but it took him longer for new concepts because he had to find his own path to understanding.

And so Kakashi did not want to watch Naruto throw himself up against a wall until he could no longer stand because the blonde would be too stubborn to admit defeat. Naruto would just keep going until he could no longer. He did not want to see some part of that spirit die when the blonde realized he had met a stronger opponent and did not have an answer to the opposition.

So he happily pretended to be pulling some prank, sending Pakkun to Naruto in a way to assuage the boy's nerves and assure Naruto he was not 'ditching' him in some fashion, and he and Sasuke had taken up a spot nearby to listen.

"And you don't think they won't disqualify me?"

"Heh." Kakashi smirked and stood keeping his one visible eye trained on the red dome just a few leaps away. "Remember that big picture we keep talking about? You're the last of a Clan that used to dominate this exam. Almost all of the lords and dignitaries who came today came to see **you** fight; to see if the Uchiha can be salvaged."

"That's reassuring." Sasuke frowned and crossed his arms in front of him. It was another visible change the month had brought about in the Uchiha heir; he was a bit leaner but also his hair had gotten shaggy and long strips of black obscured his eyes slightly from view. "But if they disqualified me…"

"Don't worry about it." Kakashi grinned and instinctively ruffled the black hair. It was an action taken with Naruto but after a while Sasuke had stopped responding to it as unwelcome. In fact the boy seemed tolerant of it. "Remind me once all of this is over to take you to get your hair cut. Didn't realize you'd go all shaggy on me."

"Screw you." Sasuke snorted and huffed in his old way except that it didn't hold quite the bite it would have before. "You're the one who wanted to go camping."

The cheers were raising again, something was happening that pleased the crowd. How fickle people could be. Just moments ago they were booing and becoming rather unpleasant. Then again most had paid to get in to watch the proceedings and felt they were entitled to a show of sorts.

Just as soon as it had started they were switching back to jeers. Of particular interest, were the shouts of disbelief and complete shock. Sasuke picked up on the difference as well and glanced over to Kakashi to see what he did before moving.

Kakashi smirked and counted to himself. First had been nothing but cheers. One match down. Then boos and hisses and then an audible increase in those calls. The match following Sasuke's never happened. Then booing and cheering again… third match done and over. That meant there was nothing else to wait for.

"Well then I guess it's time to go."

It was another excuse but sometimes making grand entrances were fun. Just to watch the whole shock value it created.

"_When did Naruto rub off on me?" _

They appeared in Kakashi's favorite method, a swirl of leaves in the dead center of the arena. As the leaves flew away from them Kakashi began to grin. Genma was smirking around that damnable senbon he always had in his mouth and surprisingly Shikamaru and Naruto were standing nearby. The way Naruto had a hold of Shikamaru's shirt it appeared Naruto had just been yelling at the Nara heir about something.

"_He's still standing…" _his mind focused in on the fact briefly before defaulting to the plan and smirking happily. "Sorry we're late. You wouldn't believe the traffic."

"So you two decided to show up." Genma was muttering as the two other Genin blinked out of shock at himself and Sasuke.

"About time you loser!" Naruto released Shikamaru and the smile said it all. Kakashi was not too sure who the comment was directed at, himself or Sasuke, but he decided to let Sasuke assume it was for him. "I was betting you were ditching cause sooner or later we'd have to go at it!"

"Heh, as if." Sasuke was smiling too. Good the rivalry and whatever connection the two shared was still there and from this little show they were practically glad to see one another. "I was betting on Neji to send you to the hospital before that would happen."

Naruto merely grinned wickedly and straightened up proudly. "Guess you got that backwards, you loser. I'm the one that sent him to the medics."

"_So he won?" _Kakashi raised an eyebrow questioningly and Genma barely nodded his head in affirmation. "_Well I'll be damned…" _

"Well don't get too full of yourself, I'll be sure to rectify his mistake."

"Sorry to keep you all waiting." Kakashi decided to halt the progression of the fight. The two if left unchecked probably would just go at each other despite the rules of the exam. "But, how late are we? I mean it's not like Sasuke's disqualified…right?"

Genma shook his head slowly, trying not to laugh at him. "Like Master Like pupil right down to your lousy sense of time. You know you were so late that we extended the deadline for you…twice. He's not disqualified but your damn lucky you showed up when you did."

"Oh, well that's a relief." Kakashi rubbed at his neck as Sasuke gave him a half-hearted glare. "You had me worried there for a minute."

"Alright clear out. Gaara get down here." Genma was calling out to the Sand ninja who was now completely fixed on Sasuke. Once directed Sasuke's eyes went upwards as well and the two were now staring at one another.

"Come on Naruto, they don't need us here." Shikamaru began heading for the stairwell nearby, giving some unconscious cue to the blonde. Naruto hesitated only for a second before Nara was calling out again. "Let's go…and this time I'm taking the stairs if you don't mind."

"Oh come on, are you still upset that I gave you a little push? You outta be grateful."

"_Hmmm wonder what happened there?" _Kakashi pondered watching Naruto skirt after the lazy bum from Asuma's team. Sure he knew they were friends but it almost looked like Naruto taking his orders from Nara.

Kakashi took the cue as well, giving Sasuke's one shoulder a little pat before puffing up to the stands. He had a good idea where Sakura was but more importantly where Gai was. Why he had taken Lee from the hospital to watch this was questionable but maybe the two had seen the previous matches and could give him a little run down before Sasuke's match got started.

As he came down the stairs Gai turned to eye him almost suspiciously as he approached and when he finally stopped a stair above where he and Lee were standing he grinned and waved. "Hello Gai. How are you feeling Lee? Are you alright?"

His greeting got him noticed by the remaining two of Asuma's Genin and Sakura whose teal eyes instantly locked on him. He also noted the mess of black and tan fur beneath Sakura's legs. Even more interesting was the fact Ririshii was up in the stands with Sakura and not with Naruto. Had he beat Neji without the dog?

"Kakashi, about time." Gai grinned right back.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi flinched a bit at Sakura's tone and how almost instantly she looked worried. Ririshii whined and nudged her hand with his nose.

"Sorry about that. You must've been worried." He tried to head it off before it got too far. "You must have been worried. Sorry for not keeping in touch."

For a second she just watched him. He was mentally bracing for the backlash soon to come from her and it appeared that Ino was expecting it as well because the blonde girl peered over her shoulder warily waiting for Sakura's reaction. Instead the pink-haired girl surprised them both.

"I don't mind." She muttered as she turned away from them all and put her eyes to center stage. "That's okay. But sensei…about that mark on Sasuke's neck."

"It's nothing to worry about." Kakashi grinned and it seemed to put to ease her worry. She smiled a bit and though Ino was now watching her closely Sakura did not seem to mind it. During the lull created by the Sand Ninja's arrival Kakashi took a quick glance around him.

"_One, two, three, four…" _He mentally checked off as he found black cloaked figures in the stands. _"Eight, that seems rather light for an arena this size." _

"Kakashi, I'm going to be carefully watching your student, to see if your training is any good." Gai was proclaiming. It was about to be another one of those 'rival' speeches that Kakashi hated but as always he pretended to not hear it. "After all, I'm still your rival."

"Hmm? Did you say something?"

Gai merely scowled. That was odd. Usually Gai would be bemoaning how cool he was acting towards his eternal rival. Was he upset about something?

"So…Lee." Kakashi decided to address the calmer of the two, as Lee seemed rather subdued. Of course he was also on a crutch and still bandaged heavily. Bets were they had given him quite a deal of painkillers to keep him from buckling. Again he questioned why Gai had gone to such length to show the boy what he was going to be missing. "How were the other matches? I hear Naruto's was good…"

"It was…" Lee seemed to slump a little but then came up to full height and was smiling proudly. "It was amazing!"

"Yes, Naruto did well to drive home the virtues of hard work for Neji." Gai also seemed somewhat proud of Naruto's fight. "He did well to emulate Lee as well though his speed is somewhat lacking."

"hmmm." Kakashi hummed. He was about to ask for more detail when Genma's voice cut the air and soon the fight between Sasuke and Gaara was beginning. Gaara began chuckling as the sand came pouring out of the gourd on his back which was predicted.

But Sasuke had been prepared for this and as soon as the Sand began to pool around Gaara's feet, the Sand Genin grasping at his head like it hurt him, Sasuke was moving. And the way Gai and Lee tensed up at the spectacle of it he knew they both were aware of what it was Kakashi and Sasuke had worked on.

Sasuke was but a blur against the floor of the arena. They had finally reached a speed Kakashi was comfortable with for the boy and because of Sasuke's Sharingan he had a good grasp of both Lee's and Gai's taijutsu; which he picked up from Kakashi who had fought Gai enough times to know it.

Just like Lee's fight the sand did deflect for a moment but eventually it failed and Sasuke nailed the ninja hard and sent him to the ground. In response the Sand lashed out and forced him back momentarily. Sasuke responded by circling the Genin at a high rate of speed.

"It's just like…like Lee's…" Sakura was muttering to herself, her hands reaching down into Riri's scruff to grasp at the large dog's comfort. Riri came up to peer around the others and watch the same fight. Several times Sasuke broke Gaara's line of defense and struck the boy enough to crack bits of his other armor.

As Gaara crouched lowly, seething, Sasuke stopped momentarily; panting. Sasuke had done very well to attain the right speed and mastery of taijutsu but he was still on the younger end of the spectrum and his stamina, although high due to his heritage, still had its limits and he had to pace himself accordingly, especially if he was going to use that jutsu and his Sharingan.

"His training…what did you two do?" Gai began speaking slowly and Kakashi caught the corner of Sakura's eye turn to them both to listen as well. "To get to such a level in a mere month."

"Well since Sasuke's already copied Lee's taijutsu with his Sharingan I merely had him build upon it. He had to work hard to get up to that speed of course, but because he knew Lee he was able to master it."

From the look that Gai was giving him Kakashi could hazard a guess to his line of thinking. Taijutsu alone against this opponent had been a near fatal mistake. So why had he forced Sasuke into such a training if it held no hope of defeating his opponent. Well that would become clear to them in time.

Gaara stood with a feral look in his eyes and clasped his hands in front of him in what appeared to be a horse sign. Sasuke stepped back and into the ready position while the Sand began to curl up around the red-headed Genin. As the sand came up and around him it became clear the goal of the jutsu, or at least part of it became clear. Slowly but surely the sand was forming a spherical barrier around Gaara.

Sasuke apparently saw this too and was rushing forward to hopefully get a strike in before the sphere completely enclosed Gaara away from him. Sasuke had been a little too slow in this realization, however, and just as his fist came close the sphere closed and then large spikes jutted out in retaliation.

Luckily Sasuke had decided to activate his Sharingan and though it looked like his hand hit hard and there was damage from the strike, only one scratch appeared on his cheek from the sharp, imposing spikes.

"What an effective and vexing defense." Gai was muttering outloud. Instead of focusing in on his rival's words Kakashi caught something coming from the stairs behind him.

"HEY! Wait up! What the hell are you doing!!!" Kakashi inclined his head a little over his shoulder. It certainly sounded like Shikamaru coming up. "You're only going to get yourself killed! Oh man you are going to owe me for this!!!"

Just about the time Kakashi heard that sentence there was just a blur of yellow past him and almost past Gai but Kakashi reacted with enough speed to snag the cream colored shirt Naruto was wearing and stop the kid dead in his tracks. But instead of stopping or calming down it only seemed to panic Naruto further that he had come to a sudden halt.

"Naruto!" Lee was starting to smile and congratulate Naruto but stopped when he noticed the wild look that Kakashi and Gai both noted in the blonde's eyes. He stopped and frowned while looking to Kakashi who held Naruto up by his collar.

"Gotta stop it! Let go!!! Gotta stop the match…"

"Naruto what in the world's gotten into you?" Kakashi sighed and tried to catch Naruto's attention but his only focus was Sasuke down in the arena. "Calm down, what's going on?"

"You don't understand!" Naruto was struggling again and pushing with his toes against the cement in a bid to get enough leverage to break free. "That guy down there, he's lost it! He's completely insane…"

"I could say the same about you!" Shikamaru was pointing at him accusingly and huffing and puffing. "One minute we're just fine and the next you're flying after that freak who just offed two guards for the Grass."

"Hmmm?" Well that was certainly a concern and Kakashi raised his eyebrow to Shikamaru who pointed behind him. "He just killed someone on his way to the match? I find that hard to beli…"

"It's true, he did it." Shikamaru shuddered involuntarily. "But he didn't do a thing to me or him."

"He's got nobody…he had nobody… and if _**it **_can talk so can _**his." **_Naruto was rambling, still completely transfixed on the fight below and the ball of sand dead center. "He talks to it, it's all he had to talk to…he thinks his only purpose is to kill…"

Two very key words struck out to Kakashi from the broken mess that was Naruto's reasoning. Whatever it was it had shook him bad enough to rush headlong into Sasuke's fight. Had Naruto been right of mind he would know Sasuke would hate him for the interference. So whatever it was, it was big enough to force Naruto to act.

_If __**IT**__ can talk so can __**HIS. **_What in the world did that even mean?

A small gasp from Sakura made Kakashi glance momentarily to her. Both she and Ririshii were looking up to Naruto and both looked rather shaken. They understood the rambling of the blonde? So what was it that they all knew that he did not here?

_If __**IT **__can talk, so can __**his.**_

"You really have lost it." Shikamaru was muttering. "Did that blow Neji give you finally catch up to you?"

Kakashi turned his gaze back on Sasuke and the ball of sand. He caught Naruto's eyes glaring up at him almost pleadingly. Kakashi believed fully that if he and Naruto were alone that Naruto would spill exactly what it was that had him in this panic. So that made it something that he could not talk about openly…there were only a couple of things Naruto did not talk of so openly and one was…

_**IT **_

"_Wait …is IT the fox? Is he talking about the fox?" _Kakashi turned his eye fully on Naruto and Naruto again begged silently to be let go. Those expressive eyes said it all. Let Sasuke blame him for his disqualification, Naruto was okay with that, he would be the brunt of Sasuke's hate for his set back. Still the statement weighed heavily and he had to digest it before contemplating it. It was unnerving to say the least to hear Naruto say the fox could talk…if that was indeed what he was saying. _"So if I say it with the fox in play…if the FOX can talk, so can his…." _

Kakashi understood now and straightened because of it. That was what was unhinged in the red-headed Sand Genin and why Naruto seemed so intent to stop what was happening; though now Kakashi was not sure if he was stopping the fight for Sasuke or stopping the fight for Gaara. That Sand Genin was just like Naruto except…_He's got nobody, he had nobody…_that he was being used by his village as a living, breathing, weapon. So why bring an emotionally and mentally unstable bomb that was just waiting to go off?

"_They're up to something and they're hoping to pin it on this kid…."_

"Relax." Something inside of him said to placate and try to stop Naruto. He pulled Naruto up and leaned enough to be able to whisper in the blonde's ear. "If I was training him to stand up against Orochimaru, this should be within his ability to handle."

"N…Sensei…" Naruto deflated and nearly slipped. Ririshii worked himself out from under Sakura and past Ino and Choji and whimpered as he came up to their feet. "But what if…what if he…"

"If it gets out of hand it won't be just me acting. Have you noticed how many ANBU are set up around here?"

Naruto took a look around him and deflated more. At this Kakashi finally believed it safe enough to release his shirt collar and watched as Naruto merely crumpled to grasp at Ririshii for comfort. He was actually unnerved enough by this whole scenario to believe Sasuke's life was in danger.

Sasuke was beginning to get bored waiting for the Sand ball to morph into something else or for Gaara to emerge. He hunkered down and then shot off. He was quick and fierce but nothing he was doing was penetrating the sand and the sand was retaliating against each attack. Kakashi could tell the sand could really only go straight out from the ball and it did seem to have a range but it prevented close combat.

Sasuke grinned as he came to a halt. His hand came up and unlatched one of the black straps around his one arm and began flipping backwards towards the high cement walls of the arena. Kakashi reached down and patted Naruto's head momentarily, sure there was good reason and that after all was said and done he was going to have to explain exactly what he meant by the fox 'talking', but for now the match was on and there was no proof yet to give Naruto's theory merit.

Sasuke came to a skidding halt just before the lip of the wall ended. He went through familiar hand signs taught to him and soon was holding his left hand with his right and it appeared he was just crouched there waiting as Gaara was.

"You didn't…." Gai whispered and it brought enough attention that Naruto looked up and re-centered his attentions on Sasuke. Slowly the lightning began to form in the boy's palm and soon the air was filled with the familiar chirping of birds.

Soon Sasuke was ready and swung his arm back to the right position, tearing up the wall as the concentrated ball of chakra drug along the smooth surface, and then was flying down the wall with a breakneck speed.

"So that's what you were really doing." Gai frowned. "You were building up his speed to the level required."

"Exactly."

"What is that bizarre noise?" Sakura had sat back down, too distracted now to worry over whatever Naruto had triggered.

"That's yours…" Naruto was muttering so lowly Kakashi doubted anyone else heard him or paid him any attention.

"What kind of technique is that?" Sakura was going on.

"It's a jab." Gai supplied for her. "It's the only weapon in Kakashi's arsenal that he didn't copy from someone else. It's a jab dependent on speed and focus. With those two things combined to a certain level the chakra actually becomes visible and gives off that distinctive sound your hearing. That sound is what gives it its name. Chidori."

"You used it in wave…" Naruto was still muttering almost to himself and Ririshii. Kakashi nodded a bit and watched as Sasuke finally impacted the sand, still trying to impale him as he approached. As expected when Kakashi thought about teaching Sasuke this jutsu, the lightning nature of Chidori obliterated the Earth nature of Gaara's sand and Sasuke appeared to be running straight through the impenetrable sand barrier.

"It's a technique of unimaginable power, requiring almost inhuman levels of speed and chakra. But once perfected it transforms the user's arm into an indestructible sword." Gai's tone turned grave and his eyes went up to Kakashi. "It is not a technique to be taught lightly."

"Like you're one to talk." Kakashi huffed then knelt down beside Lee and smiled. "Right Lee?"

For a few moments everything was still. Sasuke seemed pleased with his strike and Kakashi could not deny him it was a good aim. After a moment though a blood curdling scream emitted from the sand ball and it sent chills down almost everyone's spines. Naruto himself cringed again and reached out for his dog. As it happened Sasuke began to try to retreat but found his arm stuck now in the barrier of sand he had just impaled.

He fixed that readily enough by forming a lighter version of Chidori and pulling back harshly. As he got free he pulled with him some odd claw looking arm that had blue lines in it. Kakashi and Gai both came to attention and suddenly Kakashi had his proof of what Naruto was so desperate to tell him. It did not look human…

The thing hit the ground once Sasuke got free of it and slithered quickly back into the hole. There was a low rumbling noise before it just felt like something had just been let loose. Naruto stiffened and almost all the ninja in their section seemed to become alert. Slowly the sand began to disintegrate when it was finally clear only Gaara stood there holding the shoulder that Sasuke had impaled.

Before any of them had any time to react to this the air changed in the arena. Gai and he went back to back while civilians began falling asleep all around them. Ino, Choji and Shikamaru did as well but to Kakashi's surprise Sakura and Naruto did not. Both put their hands in front of them and did as he and Gai did and muttered 'release'.

"_So she has been reading those books I sent her." _Kakashi was momentarily pleased seeing Sakura was quicker to notice the threat. Once they were free of the coming Genjustu all of them turned their attention to the explosion at the top-most tier…where the Hokage and Kazekage were seated.

He and Gai were about to move forward when a squad of ANBU went flying past and yelled at them to protect the spectators and nobles. They did not like the idea but did as told watching intently. By the time the ANBU arrived, however, figures emerged from the large cloud of smoke enveloping the box. As soon as they did it became even more apparent they were under attack…

"Jiji!!" Naruto was rigid watching as the Kazekage of Sand flew to the rooftop with the Third tightly held in a headlock and a kunai pointed threateningly at his head. As the Kazekage got positioned four ninja appeared around them and cut off the ANBU quickly forming a large barrier around the Kazekage and his hostage.

"_Sand and Sound are invading…that's what was up with the kid, they were hoping to USE him as a distraction." _

"C'mon, let's go before they…" Naruto was moving down the stairs, Ririshii hot on his heels when a black cloaked figure came swooping down to cut him off. Naruto froze and Kakashi growled.

"An enemy disguised as ANBU black ops…. How frustrating." Gai snarled.

The one was joined by a few Sound Ninja and they all looked up at the ones still conscious ahead of them with glints in their eyes.

Kakashi took one last look down, saw that the remaining Sand Genin and their sensei had come to Gaara's defense but Genma had come to Sasuke's.

"Kakashi, inside the barrier." Gai barked and Kakashi was forced to let Genma handle the Sand ahead of him.

"Orochimaru…."

Sakura came up with the same name on her lips. Naruto and Ririshii both began to growl and their attention was now completely on the barrier above the arena platforms. Their diversion opened the way for the Sound Ninja accompanying the fake ANBU. He moved at the last second and quickly finished off the two that would take the girl's head.

She sat there for a moment huddled. She was basically a sitting duck because the spectators would not have been allowed to bring weaponry in with them for obvious reasons. When she finally peered back up again he smiled down at her and put on his own goofy mask.

"Sakura, stay there would you? I'm just going to trim the enemy numbers a little…"

She nodded numbly and agreed while he got back into the fight. Gai was also taking out whatever Sound came his way but the proudest thing was the fact that Naruto who had been momentarily distracted and blindsided was now in the fray alongside Ririshii. Kakashi was about to put himself between an attacker and the blonde but before he had the chance Naruto finally snapped out of whatever stupor he was in and lashed out on his own, catching the sound off guard enough to be pushed back and into Ririshii who did not hold back and bit cleanly into the man's neck.

"_Ririshii is the first of the team to kill…how odd..." _

There seemed to be Sound Ninja coming out of every nook and cranny but between the three of them none of them touched any of the unconscious civilians around them. When they got a small break, Ririshii stood over Lee, snarling at the few still standing at the balcony's edge, Naruto stood balanced above Sakura, Ino and Choji on the seats and he and Gai were in the center lane, back to back.

Things never sit still long enough and soon they were fielding more attacks. Kakashi was aware of the movement of Sasuke and the three Sand Genin. They were trying to escape and Sasuke, for whatever wild reason was going after them. He mentally sighed and wondered if he ever did get through to Sasuke or once presented with a way to prove himself stronger he could just not let go. Still….

He neatly landed in front of Naruto, cutting him off and letting off a loud whistle garnering Ririshii's attention. "Sakura, it was well worth teaching you Genjutsu…you truly have a talent for it."

"Huh?" the girl sat up and watched as did Naruto.

"Release the Genjustu on Shikamaru." He continued on, ignoring the blank stares of his Genin. He reached for his kunai and began scrapping it across his thumb. "You three will be getting a mission it seems."

"A mission are you nuts?" Naruto began to protest then saw what Kakashi was doing, so did Ririshii and he sat at attention.

"Sasuke went after those three Sand Genin." Kakashi pointed out and both of them predictably looked for their missing teammate. "You three have to follow Sasuke."

"What about Ino and Choji? Shouldn't we go in a group?"

"More than four of us would be noticeable." Naruto seemed to figure out for himself and Sakura paled. "But Riri…"

"Summoning Jutsu." Kakashi yelled and used a slumped back as his landing place. "Pakkun, help Naruto and Sakura track down Sasuke."

"HEY!" Ririshii barked, offended slightly. Truthfully Ririshii probably would be better to track Sasuke's sent, he was more familiar with it, but Kakashi still felt uneasy and wanted a more 'experienced' member in the ranks. Shikamaru seemed level headed enough but he was lazy and Naruto and Sakura would be too involved. Ririshii would do whatever Naruto asked of him. Pakkun needed to be the voice of reason more than a tracker.

"Seriously? A puppy?"

Ririshii snickered happily and Naruto grinned as he headed for the stair steps. Pakkun tread on slumped forms to get to Sakura and got right up in her face.

"Listen here little girl, don't go around calling me just some cute puppy."

"Go on, release the Genjustu on Shikamaru and get going." Kakashi barked and saw that Naruto was already up on the landing eyeing Shikamaru. He then nodded to Ririshii who wagged his tail and 'nibbled' on Shikamaru's leg. The Nara boy came flying up yelping from the bite.

"You slacker!!" Sakura cried as she came rushing up to the boys. "You were pretending this whole time."

"I didn't want to get involved!" Shikamaru frowned back. "Seriously Naruto do you have to drag me into your troubles? I could care less about Sasuke."

"Come on you rather be here where all the action is or where we can hide?"

That was apparently enough incentive and Gai provided the escape route the group needed to get out quickly. Sakura was the first to leap out followed by Naruto and Riri. Once they had all gotten started Gai turned back to him and frowned.

"They gonna be okay on their own?"

"They'll be fine. Pakkun and Riri will protect them."

"_I just hope Sasuke hasn't gone too far…." _

_

* * *

_

**Author note x2: **FINALLY the holidays are over. Thank god. I do hope my hiatus wasn't too long. As stated above I LOVE windows 7. A VAST improvement of failure that was Vista. IT is lovely and I love it and am glad I made the switch. Granted moving files is taking longer than normally it would but I am being super careful to be super organized this time :D

Hehe so story talk. Hehe… okay maybe not. I'm gonna let you go at it and enjoy (hopefully) However, I do want to give a little heads up. Normally I have two days off a week…usually aren't together and they usually are far apart but those two days are what I usually use as 'writing days'. It's amazing how many pages you can get out when using a good chunk of a day ! It's very relaxing and a fun way to spend the day. BUT I'm kinda making an insane new year's resolution this year. I am going to write a book. I've had ideas for years and years but I've never really gotten the initiative or the courage to write any of them past snippets and ideas on scraps of papers. So this year I'm gonna write one of them. Now this does not mean I'm leaving or nothing… I'm just planning on splitting up my two days of writing One for Fanficiton, one for my book. It may or may not slow down updates…who knows … I guess we'll see :D I just figured you all should be aware :D

Thanks as always for reading! See you in the new year ;) WOOOO 2010!


	19. Different and the Same

**The Fox and the Hound**

Chapter 15: Different and the Same

Chapter Summary: In hot pursuit of Sasuke and the Sand Genin, Naruto cannot help but worry about the outcome. Sasuke is his friend and teammate…but Gaara is just like him….

**Author Note: **Who are we kidding, after that last chapter I just had to keep going. It's like HELLS YAH! Let's do this! Plus Jiraiya's begging to be let back in from the cold so I'm working my way back to him slowly but surely :D Well that and the small, delicious, piece of angst we're gonna get when shit hits the fan (aka jiji kicking the bucket). So I finished up the notes and diagrams I was making for my book project (I like to create my world's first then play in them) and decided Hell it's new years eve and I've got nowhere to go so why not do something fun!

* * *

Shikamaru was one-hundred percent sure that Kakashi had just made a huge mistake. He had sent the three of them and two dogs after three enemy ninja and Sasuke. If they could catch up with Sasuke they would outnumber the Sand Genin but he was fairly certain that the three were above Genin rank.

Then again he was pretty sure Sasuke and Naruto were as well and he could be if he really set his mind to it. The problem lay in the whole scenario itself. Sakura had been crazy about Sasuke in the academy, just like Ino, and she would only get in the way. Naruto was some kind of masochist when it came to his friends and if he could put himself between a friend and harm he would without thinking about it. Ririshii was useful but he had limited uses and the little pug that Kakashi had summoned as a tracker seemed absolutely useless to them once they found Sasuke.

And because of all these cons Shikamaru was racking his brain hard for all the possible moves they could make once faced with the enemy, because god only knew neither Sasuke nor Naruto was going to just let them get away and Shikamaru had to admit stopping them seemed a benefit to the village as well. The actions of the Sand made him believe that Gaara was their trump card and his being injured by Sasuke had been a HUGE mistake.

Even though he had a good two-hundred or more 'moves' mapped out in his head, they were all here say until they caught up with Sasuke and saw what he did. He was the only contingency in any of the moves.

"Oh man, why did you have to drag me into this?" He moaned as they chased after the two dogs, Ririshii taking the lead and Pakkun, the little pug, right at his heels. "This whole thing is such a drag."

"It can't be helped." Sakura spoke up and speared him with a look. "It's Kakashi-sensei's order…"

"I don't remember him being **my** sensei." Shikamaru shot back to her and she turned her gaze back towards the dogs. It was true but at the same time Kakashi was a senior Ninja to them. He was Jounin and had the authority to send them off as he wished. Shikamaru just felt put-off that the silver-haired loaf decided that he had to go after one of HIS missing students.

Both dog's began sniffing intently and made a sharp turn in their direction. Ririshii's ears perked up and he barked energetically. "This way…"

"_Why in the world did Kakashi send the pug? He's useless in a fight and Ririshii knows Sasuke's scent better than that pug would." _Shikamaru could not figure out the reasoning behind the Jounin's summoning. After all Ririshii was a bigger dog and he knew Sasuke.

"How far ahead do you think he is Riri?"

"Too far to tell. And they keep moving." Ririshii flattened his ears against his head and began growling.

"Eh, hurry it up you three!" Pakkun was snarling now as well. "There are eight ninja behind us…no wait…nine."

"_Maybe that's it…the pug is a better tracker and can focus on more than one scent." _

"What?" Naruto went stiff from the information and did take a second to glance behind them.

"Oh come on already, give me a break here." Shikamaru only looked to the tree limb that the dogs had hit before them and then behind them. They were leaving a trail large enough that any idiot, ninja or not, could follow them.

"I don't think they've discovered our location yet." Pakkun leapt up and landed on Ririshii's back, turning to face the three Genin as Ririshii kept up their pace and his nose pointed straight for Sasuke. The pug barked and Riri nodded and went to the ground. The three of them followed dutifully and suddenly the dogs stopped to look around. "Okay Ririshii, carefully start stepping over your own steps."

Shikamaru caught on immediately and began doing the same. They were trying to make it look like they were disappearing or luring the enemy into a trap. Naruto began to do so as well and after the dogs passed her Sakura followed suit. They then took back up their pursuit of Sasuke.

"That will at least buy us some time." Pakkun grunted as he rode Ririshii like a pony. The pug kept his eyes and nose trained behind them all and Ririshii kept on after Sasuke. Together the two dogs would be able to warn them of anything coming at their position…

After a few more miles the pug began to sniff again and furrowed his brow, folding the darker brown skin around his face. "This is not good. Be prepared for an ambush."

"They're back on our trail again…" Naruto sighed in resignation.

"Just great, they're probably all chuunin or higher. We'll be wiped out if they catch us." Shikamaru took another glance behind him. He felt uneasy about the whole situation and really began cursing in his head. With this new information he had to try to formulate a way out of the mess they were between. Ahead of them was a psycho who thought he only was alive to kill and Sasuke who had snapped once already in the forest of death. Behind them were their pursuers, probably sent to stop them from reaching Sasuke and the trump card of their operation.

"Well can't we just ambush them?" Naruto came up with the first probability that Shikamaru had already worked through on his own.

"An ambush? That could work…" Sakura was agreeing with Naruto. "It could give us an advantage even if there are more of them if we can just catch them off guard."

"No good." Pakkun huffed and looked up to Shikamaru of all of them. So maybe the dog was not stupid after all. "My guess is they are all Jounin sent by Orochimaru."

"Who the hell is this Orochimaru guy you all keep talking about?" Shikamaru had enough of the secrets. It was another one of those unexplained pieces on the board that could move but had no purpose too yet. "Anyway an ambush is out of the question…"

"You don't want to know…" Naruto snarled about his first comment.

"Why not? Why wouldn't the ambush work?" Sakura also ignored the first question and moved on to his second comment.

"You two don't get it…yes an ambush can be a key battle tactic but for it to work you have to meet two conditions." Shikamaru sighed. Surely Sakura, the smartest of their class book-wise had to know this but she was too eager to catch up to Sasuke to think straight…or so it seemed.

"So what are those two conditions?"

"Number one, the ninja on the run must be completely quiet and find the enemy first. Number two, they have to be able to catch the pursuers off guard at a location where they can do a lot of damage quickly and conceal themselves again."

Naruto had closed his eyes briefly probably working out the two conditions on his own. Shikamaru knew he would come up with some plan that would meet those two conditions but all the same it would fail.

"It's only under those two conditions that an ambush can work. Now the first condition isn't that hard to achieve because the dogs can find our enemies quickly. And the second condition should be in our favor because this is our village and we know it like the back of our hands…"

"However…." Naruto prodded him and Shikamaru smirked a little. The blonde knew him better than Choji all the sudden.

"However, we can only assume that the squads chasing us have been given layouts of the village by an outside source and they have run simulations of this already…they know it well enough to sniff us out just as quickly and they know when and where to trap us."

"Because Orochimaru was a former Leaf Ninja…" Sakura whispered and Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. Whoever this guy was he was dangerous and it showed by how carefully they spoke about the man and his connection to all of this.

"But if we can catch them off guard anyway…"

"We have to assume that those guys were a special team put together for this operation exclusively. And what are we?" Shikamaru snarled back at Naruto. "A goof, a kunochi of no particular talent, a couple of mutts, and me the shirker who doesn't even want to be here. Tactics are about grasping a tough situation and formulating the best plan."

"Which is your strong suit, Genius so get to the reveal already." Naruto finally frowned over at him, the trees blurring by in muted green and brown colors.

"By now only one plan makes sense, just one."

"And that is?"

"A diversion that looks like an ambush." Shikamaru cringed and looked again behind him. "One of us is going to stay behind….and slow them down."

"So one of us will be a decoy." Sakura nodded.

"That's right; if one of us can delay them they shouldn't be able to find the rest of us." Shikamaru sighed heavily and looked over at the other two. The only problem with this plan was that more than likely the person who stayed behind was dead once the enemy ninja found them.

All five of them stopped, the dogs looking questioningly back at the Genin, waiting for them to make their decision. Shikamaru already had it planned out but he understood the other two needed time to make that decision on their own as well. It still wasn't going to go over well.

"I'll do…" Naruto began to say, it was that masochism of his again. Anything and everything to protect his friends, that was just Naruto.

"I'm the only one that can do it." Shikamaru cut him off and hung his head.

"Shikamaru!" Sakura gasped.

Predictably Naruto balked at this idea. "Why does it have to be you Shikamaru?"

"Better than all of us being wiped out right?" He grinned slyly over to the blonde but it did not work and Naruto only balked further. "Besides I'm the only one of us with a chance of pulling off this decoy and surviving this attack. Anyway, my shadow possession was designed as a delay tactic."

Naruto was damn near ready to protest and yell at him, he could see it in the way the boy shuffled his feet and frowned. The hardest part of the plan was convincing the others to just let him go ahead with it; Naruto especially.

"Shikamaru…"

"I'll catch up with you later. Go on, get going." He mentally shoved them on their way and turned towards the direction the enemy was predictably coming from. There was just a long drag of silence before Naruto finally bent to his will.

"We're counting on you Shikamaru." The blonde muttered and turned as well. He heard Naruto kick off and Sakura right behind him.

Shikamaru went about taking his own way, trying to formulate the best possible place to trap the ninja behind them and calculating the angle of the sun above him. He began finding good sturdy pieces of twigs and branches to start his first tactic but was surprised when Ririshii landed right beside him, ears swiveling and chocolate brown eyes looking down at what he was doing with the twigs.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Shikamaru raised an eyebrow and Ririshii huffed.

"As if we'd let you go alone." The dog growled but wagged his tail all the same. "I'm the fighter and Pakkun is the brains, you figure it out _genius." _

Shikamaru blinked up at the shepherd then submitted to Naruto's will. He could figure it out easily enough now. The pug was older and more experienced and Kakashi had sent him to keep the level head among them. Ririshii was there for force. Naruto did not want Shikamaru to go alone and face the enemy so they had all sacrificed the stronger of the two dogs to aid him.

"Fine then, but stay outta the way, if we're gonna pull this off it has to look like I'm alone."

"Right."

He led them to an open area and to the ground. The easiest way to trap them all in a shadow possession was to have them on the smooth surface of the ground. Tree limbs and branches would make him stretch his shadow too thin. Once he had the spots in place and Ririshii had found a good spot above, he crouched behind a tree root, he stared up at the lazy fluffy clouds above him.

It did not take long for a group of ninja in gray and black gear, just like the Sand Genin they had faced previous, came into the clearing. The leader knelt to inspect the tracks he and Ririshii had left behind on purpose. All of them were covered to their heads in black material…they were built for tracking which made things even worse.

"His footprints are irregular." The lead smirked behind his mask. "Anxiety is probably increasing his fatigue."

They all seemed to consider the man's words and slowly the leader of the pack began to stand. Shikamaru waited until he saw the muscle in his legs twitch that indicated they were about to set off after the tracks and made his move.

All of the men struggled for a second then gave into the paralysis.

"Opps…sorry. I was supposed to be the guy that didn't want to get involved." Shikamaru grinned to himself as all eyes followed his shadow to him, blocking their progress towards the others. "But I guess I'm not quite what you expected am I."

Shikamaru was still fifty-fifty on how well this bluff was going to work. He had told the truth when facing Temari that he had used a good deal of his chakra to trap her in the last moments. That coupled with his not wanting to exert himself more than he already had made him give the match to her. He had recovered a small bit of that chakra but knew it was not enough to keep the men stilled for long.

"You're right about one thing, I am tired. But on everything else you're wrong. Like our footprints." This was another bluff. He held up the twigs and sticks he had used to form a crud form of a dogs paw and held it up proudly. He did not have to use the ploy since Ririshii joined him but he was betting that the Sound Ninja in front of him would not look to the prints and see the size difference right away. It was better for him if they thought he was alone and once his shadow possession failed Ririshii could jump out and ambush them.

_A decoy and an ambush._

"Why he's just a kid." One of the faceless ninja remarked as they all narrowed their eyes at their target. "I can't believe we got caught by this."

"_Yeah neither can I really." _Shikamaru thought. He glanced down momentarily at his feet, the shadow's thickness waxing and waning as he struggled to keep it up for as long as he could.

"So this is the Leaf's shadow paralysis jutsu we've heard about." Another remarked and it made Shikamaru laugh. Only his grandfather called it by that name anymore.

"Yeah, if you want to call it by that old name, but I'm afraid you're behind the times. Now it's called Shadow Possession Jutsu."

Slowly he began to count the ninja in front of him. He got to eight and was forced to stop. There were only eight ninja trapped in front of him. But Pakkun had clearly indicated there were nine ninja in pursuit.

"_Of course." _He mentally slapped himself for overlooking the safeguard. "_The ninth one's role is to protect against an ambush specifically." _

Shikamaru fingered his pouch for a few throwing knives. As he went through the motions all eight men in front of him mimicked his movements despite having no pouch at their backs to pull from. Shikamaru knew what to do and let the knives fly. The attack would draw out the ninth ninja and he could find him with his shadow.

As predicted as the knives neared their targets, more knives came from a tree to his left and deflected all of the blows. He smirked to himself and sent the shadow towards the tree but luck finally gave out. He did not have enough chakra to send the shadow that far.

"It's futile kid. I see through your technique."

"_So this is it…"_

"It looks like you've reached your limit." The leader went on, narrowing his eyes and readying himself for when the jutsu finally failed. "Prepare yourself."

Shikamaru grinned. Well that was that and his initial assessment was correct. The person who stayed behind was probably going to die because of being out numbered. He sighed and let his eyes go back up to his clouds, wishing fervently to be one of them yet again.

"_All I really wanted was to be an average Shinobi, making an average living. I'd marry a regular girl, not too pretty and not too ugly…have two kids a girl and then a boy…retire when my daughter got married and my son became a successful ninja. I'd spend the rest of my days just playing Shoji or Go…a nice quiet life. Yep…that's the life I wanted. And yet I ended up exerting myself, it's so unlike me…why did I do that?" _

He knew the answer already, because of Choji and Naruto and in some ways Ino. The three of them refused to just let him take the easy path. Choji needed someone to be the stronger personality and Ino just did not take no for an answer…Naruto…well Naruto made it hard not to want to try and match him. It was so troublesome and frustrating but since the day Choji pointed out the shy blonde at school and asked why he was alone, Shikamaru had not been able to let it go.

All three of them were to blame for this mess.

"Well as you said, it appears I'm at my limit." Shikamaru finally let the tension die and released the shadow. Above him he could hear the faintest of growling and it momentarily frightened him, then he remembered Ririshii, poised just above him ready to strike the moment anyone made a move for his person. "_Naruto's gonna be so pissed, I drug Riri into this too…" _

"Hey come on out!" the leader called up to the tree. "And when you do, cut off his head."

"_What a drag…" _

Behind him the last ninja landed heavily. Shikamaru froze in fear and waited for the fatal strike but instead a gray-clad ninja went flying sideways into a nearby tree. The other eight moved and Ririshii finally came down from his perch, aiming for the lower ranks, but Shikamaru had to look behind him. He could not stand not knowing what had just happened.

"Well I finally caught up with you guys."

"As..Asuma!! how did you.."

Asuma was not listening. He had a feral grin around that ever present cigarette Shikamaru had come to look for. Man he looked pissed. Instead of answering Shikamaru's unspoken question, he readied his fist knives and went rushing forward to help Ririshii who was now surrounded by a few more of the Sound Ninja.

He got the one dead center right in the face with his punch, backed by the force of his chakra and went flying. Ririshii barked and jumped away the moment he had a chance to and positioned himself in front of Shikamaru who could only stand there, watching in blank shock.

"_I'm not dead…how did he…why did he follow us?" _

It was all too quick and too varied to keep an eye on every move and punch Asuma threw but Shikamaru was amazed. He believed his Sensei was just like him…a slacker. Asuma always was laid back and smoking….but at this point in time he seemed more like his father, the Hokage, than he did the easy-going teacher.

"_Man…" _

Finally it was over, Asuma standing amid the motionless bodies of all nine Sound Ninja. "You did well…Shikamaru."

Shikamaru caved and hit the ground. "Yeah but it was way too much work! _Not to mention I nearly got myself killed…" _

Asuma smirked back at him knowingly. "I figured as much. Where are the others?"

"How should I know, we split up to deceive these guys." Shikamaru put back on his frown and glared up at him. "They were after Sasuke last I checked."

"Well then I guess it's a good thing you have Naruto's mutt with you." Asuma walked over and patted Riri on the head. "You can help us catch back up with them, they might need help, don't you think?"

Ririshii nodded eagerly and turned his nose to the wind. Almost instantly the dog was aware of his owners scent and glanced back to Asuma who proceeded to help Shikamaru up. Once back on his feet Shikamaru shook off the nerves and nodded to Ririshii. Asuma did have a point… Naruto and the others were going to need help.

* * *

Sasuke felt _alive_.

He had a hard time describing the feeling fully but he was grinning as he chased down the Sand Ninja. This was what being a Shinobi was! The fact that the proctor had given him permission to finish his match, only muttering to be careful and that it was for real now, was a boost to his confidence and he was sure once he caught up to the Sand he would have no trouble dealing with the threat they posed.

He in a way had already gotten rid of one of them. The one with the puppets had decided stop running and try to delay Sasuke while the girl took Gaara and leapt away. Sasuke was more than willing to try and stop them all but Aburame Shino stopped him. Apparently the bug user had been denied his match when Kankuro had withdrawn from their match.

Sasuke had no qualms about that and thanked Shino and been on his way. The other two were still ahead of him but he sensed them slowing down and soon he would be back upon them.

"_This is what I've wanted." _Sasuke grinned to himself. "_This is what I need to do to prove myself…" _

He came to a halt seeing the red-head slam his teammate away from him. Sasuke had some doubts surely about facing the Sand Genin again because of his state. It was like the red-head had become completely unglued and was now having flashbacks or hallucinations. But once he was on his feet again and standing, Sasuke could see just what Gaara saw in him…a challenge.

"I have no idea what scheme you Sand Village clowns have going but I'll stop it."

Sasuke saw the slightest crack forming around Gaara's cheek. He grinned happily knowing that mean the armor was falling apart as they spoke. He had hurt him enough during their match that he should not be such a threat now. The real threat was how much of an interference the blonde girl was going to be.

"Besides…" his mind flashed back to the match again and the _thing_ he saw when the hole was opened to him. Whatever Gaara had been doing inside the sphere had not been normal, hell he was not sure it was human, but he had to know. "I'm dying to see what you really are!"

Gaara stood transfixed for a moment, staring up at him with rage. Suddenly, though he screamed out like he had when Sasuke had first harmed him and clutched at his forehead, muttering nonsense and crying out again. This was a Genin who CLEARLY had mental issues. How he had gotten so far in the ranks by now was questionable but the Sand Village obviously cared little.

"Gaara no!!"

More cracks began to form across Gaara's nose and up through his eyes. It was like he was literally crumbling like a statue of thin shell. He regained control slowly, yet his hand still remained on his left side of his head, covering up the odd red tattoo he had there.

"Gaara!" the blonde was calling out; having regained her balance from the blow her own teammate had given her. "No! Remember our mission!!!"

"We're so alike, Uchiha." Gaara ignored the call and forced Sasuke to put his attention back on him. "I don't have friends as you have, but that's not what makes us strong. It's your purpose that does it! In that way we're alike."

The teal eyes widened and became bloodshot. "But mine is the stronger purpose!! Only by destroying you and all you represent can I prove my existence!"

"_Wow he has really lost it. What did they do to this guy to make him like this? Or was he born this way??" _Sasuke sneered and prepared himself for whatever was about to come.

"You….." Gaara's hand finally dropped and his other eye came open to stare. "You…."

Then he just hit his knees and started screaming again. Sasuke was beginning to wonder if he should have finished it already. It was obvious there was something wrong with this guy. However, to just rush in seemed foolish without knowing what the other girl was going to do.

"You are my prey!!!" Gaara screamed out as his hands dug into the bark below his feet. "My prey!!!"

As he screamed and carried on Sasuke saw it creeping out of his gourd. He at first thought it was only summoning his sand defenses too him but as it grew it became apparent that was not the case. Instead it looked like an extended arm, growing around Gaara's own thin arm and encasing it. The sand began to morph around him and soon he had a large claw-like appendage and what appeared to be an ear.

Temari seemed just as terrified because the blonde paled considerably and shut her eyes away from it. She cringed and Sasuke could see a slight tremor in her arms before turning his attention to where it needed to be. "_Even his teammate is frightened by him.." _

Sasuke had to admit starting to fear him too. As the sand took on its new shape Gaara began snarling and drooling heavily. His left eye was now completely black as if the tattoo around it had spread to conceal the eye itself. His other eye was wild and bloodshot. Whatever he was doing to himself was either very painful or he was enjoying it.

When he finally opened his left eye again it was a yellow orb with an odd pupil inside of it. It was the same eye he had seen from inside the whole of the sphere. _"Shit! Is it some kind of bloodline limit? No… this is something else completely…" _

"Come…let me feel it.." Gaara grinned sadistically as he dug his new claw into the branch below him. "Let me feel alive!!!!"

Without warning the boy was off and flying at him. Sasuke had to take a moment to process before trying to dart away. The large claw opened menacingly and Gaara's wide eyes were entirely focused on their target: him. At the last second he jumped and watched the destruction below him. The claw seemed to extend even further than Gaara's natural arm would and obliterated the place he had been standing.

He sat panting on the other side, obscured from the lunatic's view racking his brain for an answer. He winced, his arm tingling from the near impact he had just avoided. He had little time to ponder his next move because the long arm of the freak was flying at his position again.

"Is he human or monster!" Sasuke snarled as he retreated to a better hiding place.

"Why do you hide Uchiha Sasuke?! Do I frighten you?"

"_Hell yes I am you psycho. What the hell is he?" _Sasuke grunted as he kept himself pressed up tightly against the base of a tree.

"Are you shocked by my true form? Come out, come out, Sasuke!!! To live, I must kill…and you are my prey!!!"

The more he called out to Sasuke and the more he attacked, the more he moved like an animal to Sasuke's eyes. This was not a person, this was a monster. That did not remove the fact that he had to stop them. To think what would happen if this freak got loose in the village? No that was unthinkable. He could NOT let this thing go back to Konoha.

So he formed a clone and sent it out, hoping to buy some time to think and plan accordingly.

"So there you are!!" The arm predictably went out for the clone and it turned into a log. The clone came from the other side and threw a volley of kunai. The arm flung itself around and each knife embedded in the thick sand. It was a lot like his first defense only this time the kunai began to sink into the sand. The clone went to back away and Gaara chuckled. "Here you can have them back!!"

The arm projected the kunai right back at Sasuke only they were coming much faster and with much more chakra backing them. The clone blocked but was hit and dissipated in a flash.

"Only a clone…"

"This guy is a freak." Sasuke panted from his position below. The only good thing about the state he was in now, was that he did not seem apt or willing to seek Sasuke out himself. He was waiting for Sasuke to come to him. _"Perhaps he isn't too mobile in this state…" _

"What's wrong, Sasuke Uchiha? Why do you run and hide? Why don't you attack arrrrgghhh!!!" He was grabbing at his head again. Suddenly the voice was softer but no less mad in its ramblings. "Why do you always run away?"

"_What the hell is wrong with this guy? What is he talking about?" _

Despite the lax moment Gaara seemed to recover quickly enough and began screaming out to him again. "I won't let you get away!! YOou can't escape from me!!!"

He began blinding crashing through trees near him. Sasuke went lower and lower to watch and see which direction he was going in. Like he had observed before the Sand freak had no direction or no real clues to his real location. But he was certainly a destructive force to be reckoned with.

"_This is not real…how is he so strong? If it comes down to physical strength I'm toast." _

He had known the moment the red-head had tracked him and Kakashi down where they had hidden themselves for training the past month that this was not going to be easy. Kakashi had stopped suddenly and kept his eye on one particular set of rocks. Finally he called out to the ninja and they were both surprised to see him. He had rambled then but it had been much more subdued than it was now.

And he had been foolish then too…because it still frightened him….

"_Hey hold on!" he had called out to the ninja. "Why me? Why so fixated on me?"_

_After a long stretch of silence the red-head finally answered. "I see it in your eyes. You know what loneliness; true loneliness. You understand that it can be the most painful sort of suffering there is in the world. As I said before, we have the same eyes. Eyes for a hunger for power, full of hatred. The same as me… Eyes that seek revenge against those who made you so lonely. Eyes that burn to see them all dead!" _

"What's wrong!!!"

Sasuke furrowed his brow and looked above him. He never quite understood why Kakashi had allowed Gaara that close or to keep talking like he had. It seemed lax on the teacher's part at first but slowly, certainly, it made sense. Those words, those jarring words, scared Sasuke on some level. He did not want anything at all in common with this psycho but yet, Gaara had made sense then. Sasuke did want revenge on the person who had killed his whole family. He wanted to prove he was stronger and better than any of the Uchiha before him…but at what cost?

"Does all your hatred and sense of purpose boil down to this? Abject fear?! Is this the existence you live now? That of a coward?!"

He was not a coward but he had to admit trying to find the purpose in this fight now that he was faced with it. He did not want to be like this sick and demented teen behind him. He did not want to be an object that was feared…he only wanted to kill his brother for all the wrongs he had committed; to make him pay for what he had done.

But the more Gaara prodded him the more he caved in to that line of thinking. _"I was the only one allowed to live…why?" _He began to form the hand signs and put his palm downwards again. "_No I know why. He had to leave one alive to spare himself the guilt of killing his entire clan. HE chose me to be the avenger of the clan…HE chose me to kill him…and I can't do that if I don't' do something now." _

The sound of Chidori finally drew Gaara's attention and the boy grinned evilly. "Goood, now we're going to have some fun!!"

They launched at one another, the claw extending and seeming to reach at him desperately. Chidori ripped through the thicker makeup of sand like it was merely paper. Sasuke landed and kept his Sharingan active to make sure as Gaara landed a few feet away. "_Looks like it worked…" _

But that was not the case. Slowly the Sand Ninja recovered his feet and teal eyes glinted with glee as he panted and seethed up at Sasuke. "I see, so that's the way it is!" he chuckled darkly and gripped at his one shoulder. "Now it's clear to me why exactly I've been looking forward to this. This pain…. What a thrill it will be to crush such an opponent capable of wounding me."

Sasuke took a step back. Once more it appeared that Gaara's appearance was changing. His teeth elongated as did his mouth. The sand continued to morph around his arm and face but it was slowly spreading like a slow wave. And with each growth he only seemed to get stronger, while Sasuke himself was burning through his chakra.

"There's more…so much more…."

"_What the…Shit! How many more of those things are going to grow out of him?" _Sasuke panicked slightly as the sand began to shift again and this time grew a tail to go along with his claw and ear. He gripped the branch with both the claw and the tail and seemed to slingshot himself forward. "_Damn it he's even faster now!!"_

He moved just in time as the bullet that was Gaara flew beneath him and took out the branch. Sasuke snarled and watched the flying …thing…as it used the claws on both the tail and arm to stop himself and slingshot himself back towards him.

"_Only by predicting his moves do I have any chance of dodging. Without my Sharingan I'd probably be dead by now…but I can't use Chidori anymore…" _His eyes widened at the approaching projectile. He had already reached his limits with the lightning attack so he had to rely on old familiar jutsu. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

It did not work. He knew it would not but he had to try. The sand appendages merely wrapped themselves around Gaara as he flew through the superheated blast and he came out snarling more viciously than before.

"_Did it even slow him down? This level of Jutsu is worthless!" _

"You're finished!" Gaara yelled as he lashed out and Sasuke was forced to block, he did not have the time needed to dodge.

"_It's Chidori or nothing!" _He winced as he hit finally. He knew he left a good impact because his back screamed out in defiance. Sasuke had only been able to soften the blow marginally.

"_So…it looks like your good for two bursts. That's about your limit." Kakashi had remarked the day they went out to find a reasonably sturdy rock to throw themselves against. "At this stage of your chakra development you've only got two shots of Chidori in you per day maybe three if you weren't using your Sharingan but you would be in an actual battle." _

_Sasuke felt defeated by this. He had finally learned the damn thing properly and now he could only use it twice a day? If that?? What kind of technique was a one shot deal? _

"_Sharingan and Chidori are a potent combination, but costly. Using them simultaneously burns up a__** lot **__of chakra and fast. Don't sweat it, I'm actually very impressed! Even for me Chidori is a killer. If I had to use it four times in a day I'd be running on empty." _

"_What would happen if I tried to use it more than twice?" _

_Sasuke remembered how Kakashi's eye fell a little and he did not look at the boy for a moment. He seemed very disturbed by the question at first. "Well…for one thing it wouldn't work. But remember this, trying to force a jutsu means not only will it not work the attempt could drain your chakra to complete zero. Worst case scenario…you die. Even if the worst doesn't happen, nothing good can come of it. Trust me, especially in your case." _

Sasuke glared at his shoulder angrily. Gaara found his lack of movement infuriating.

"Is that it? That's the best demonstration you could make of your existence? That's just pathetic. Your hatred…it's weak. You're far too soft and forgiving. Your hate is weaker than mine…far weaker…"

"Shut up…" he whispered, not sure if he was just done hearing the insane ramblings or because those words were striking their mark.

"You know what that means don't you?"

"Just shut up!"

He felt the rage bubbling up and found that he was able to get Chidori to manifest one last time. The sand freak's words cut deep. He knew his hate was weak, he did not have enough hate; he only hated his brother, nothing else. Still as they launched at one another for a second time he felt that rage bubbling more and more. This guy was going to kill him? No, not if he could help it.

As he neared Gaara he felt the slip and glanced down. Just as Kakashi had tried to warn him, the jutsu was going to fail. Gaara was coming full force still and Sasuke had no other choice, though he felt guilty for doing what he was about to do.

They landed much differently this time. Sasuke crouched low on another branch and the Sand Ninja crouched behind him. The sand was falling away from his arm and face but the tail was still remaining. Sasuke felt the hot rush from his shoulder spreading around his own face and down his arm. The Chidori raged in his palm and he smirked as he watched the sand seemingly melt off of its user.

Still he felt some pang of guilt. He had just drawn upon the curse mark given to him by Orochimaru.

All through his training he had refused to touch its power and had felt approved of in some fashion by Kakashi. Hell by the end of the month he felt almost accepted, as if Kakashi was _proud_ of him in some sense. And it had been a rush he had not been expecting. He wanted the Jounin to be proud of him much like he had once wished for that acceptance from his father.

He had little time to relish in this small victory because as Gaara grew another appendage a sharp lance drove through his shoulder and he hit the branch harshly. It felt like his whole body was on fire and he could not move. He slowly inched his hand towards the offender and tried his damndest to get it back under control but it was no use.

He felt the approaching chakra of the Sand Ninja and cringed. He could not move, he could not dodge, all he felt was this intense pain from his shoulder. Kakashi had been right; it had been a fatal mistake to try to force Chidori just one more time. He watched in slow horror as the beast approached him only to blink and see him being forced back by a forcible kick to the face. Sasuke gaped as Naruto, looking pissed and fired up landed on a sturdy grouping of leaves and branches ahead of him. The blonde had just forced back the Sand Ninja by a sucker punch, or this case, kick to the head.

Just as suddenly Sakura landed beside him along with a little pug, Kakashi's pug.

"Sasuke!!" He felt Sakura's hands on his back and the pug sniffing at his neck. He growled a little but inside he was really, really, glad to see them. On the other hand he was terrified. They were going to get slaughtered if they stayed here!

"What are you two doing here?!"

Sakura's eyes went wide and predictably went to where the curse mark was. Naruto was dead center on Gaara.

Sasuke struggled to get up, to force his body into moving but it was no use and he felt the pain lance further down and up now setting all of his nerves on fire.

"Sasuke hold on!"

"Earth to Sakura…" Naruto was desperately trying to get her attention but she was effectively ignoring him.

"Hey little girl…" Pakkun's voice broke the fog and Sasuke snarled up at him. If the pug was here, where was Kakashi? "Now's the time to tell you I'm not the fighting type."

"I can tell that by looking at you!!" Sakura snapped under the pressure.

"So….it's you." Gaara was glared at Naruto. He was probably completely incensed that Naruto had denied him his killing blow on Sasuke. "The one I didn't kill that day."

"_What's he talking about? He didn't kill Naruto what day?" _

Naruto seemed to know what he was talking about because the blonde was visibly shaken for a moment. Now that he was more focused in front of him Sasuke began to loosen some of the tension around his shoulders. Pakkun was here but Ririshii was not…where was the shepherd? How had they found him?

"Guys get up!!" Naruto was suddenly calling out, tensing up. "We gotta get out of here…."

He never got to finish that sentence before the Sand freak was pushing off and coming for him again. He flew right past Naruto as if he did not matter and bee-lined straight for Sasuke.

"Die Sasuke Uchiha!!"

Sakura surprised them all by placing herself right between the coming beast and Sasuke himself. He blinked up at her in shock, not sure the girl had it in her to do something like this but even more concerned that she was about to be killed. "Sakura…no!!!"

Something about her sudden appearance also threw Gaara off and he stopped suddenly in front of her. His aim suddenly changed from Sasuke to her and the claw threw her harshly up against the tree's trunk. She winced upon impact and it was enough force to knock the wind out of her and she slumped forward.

Naruto took this moment of distraction to get Sasuke away from the Sand Ninja. Sasuke wanted to yell at him not to worry about him but it would be on deaf ears.

"Sakura!!!" He called out to her but the girl did not respond. "Sasuke this is bad…what do we do now…what now??"

Gaara was having another one of his spells. He was clutching at his head with his free hand and alternating between screaming and growling. It was a lot longer than the other ones and Naruto did make an attempt to use that distraction to his advantage but the tail knocked him back. Instead it merely snapped Gaara out of his stupor.

"Who are these two? Who are they!!" He snarled now at Naruto, not Sasuke. "Who are they to you?"

"Who are they to me?" Naruto stopped shaking a little and something seemed to snap into place for him. "They're my friends, that's who they are. You so much as try to lay another finger on the two of them, I'll kill you!"

This only served in making Gaara even more unstable. He tightened his grip around Sakura and the girl made a small gasp as the sand tightened around her body more.

"Well come on then! Weren't you going to kill me?"

Naruto went in for a hit, but was knocked back by the enormous tail Gaara had spawned. "_Great now Naruto is unhinged." _

"This is bad; I gotta do something to get him off of Sakura." Naruto snarled as he landed and came back up.

Gaara began chuckling watching Naruto struggle back up. "And that's exactly why you can't win. As long as you fight for the sake of others, you will never advance beyond this level. Forget your 'friends'. Fight for yourself."

"You're insane! Forget my friends?"

"The trivial thing such as friendship and loyalty clouds your focus and you'll die."

"Yeah, yeah, keep talking while you can." Naruto snorted and stood taller. He reached for a kunai and was flying through the air. "Because I'm taking you down!!"

"You don't under what true strength is."

Again Naruto was tossed away like a piece of garbage but he was too stupid to just try to attack the arm and get Sakura and flee. It seemed like that Gaara was having trouble keeping his act together and it had started when Sakura had stepped out in front of him.

"What's the matter, why don't you truly come at me?" Gaara was prodding much like he had with Sasuke. "Don't you care what happens to your _precious_ friend?"

Naruto merely stood there growling and keeping his eyes on Sakura. Sasuke winced and reached up to his shoulder again. _"Naruto's just standing there, that's not like him…" _

Something must have finally clicked because Naruto began forming hand signs. It ended when he bit into his thumb and slammed his palm to the tree branch. There was a big puff of smoke and Sasuke waited to see what it was Naruto summoned. _Does he summon dogs too? Was Ririshii just a summons all this time??" _

When the smoke finally cleared but it was not a dog or Ririshii standing there. It was a small red toad wearing a jacket. The frog blinked for a moment at Naruto then began to speak.

"Yeah what is it kid? Whatever it is you better have some treats because if you think I'm doing something for nothing you're wrong…"

"OH come on Gamakichi, give me a break I was trying to summon something bigger!!" Naruto was snapping back at him.

"Oh? Screwed up didja?" The toad was _smiling. _

"Listen I don't have time to play games, I'm really starting to hate this summoning jutsu crap…" Naruto took another look to Sakura, she was still encased but she still seemed okay… "I gotta find a way to free her…"

"Hehe still worried about your friends?" Gaara's head came up and this time Naruto visibly balked. The human face was gone…it was now covered by sand in the shape of some creatures face. Both eyes were now black with gold pupils and the blue markings only seemed to spread further and further around his body. "When I fight…I fight for me!"

The sand began wrapping the entirety of his body. The arm detached from the claw holding Sakura in place but it remained and she remained tightly trapped.

"Sand Shuriken!!"

There were soon a volley of projectiles heading in Naruto's direction. He quickly reached down, snagged Gamakichi and took off. He was not fast enough though and some of them hit him and sent him flying backwards. He kept the frog completely wrapped by his arms and it appeared none of them hit the toad.

"Boy are you pathetic…" Gamakichi snorted a bit.

"Shut up." Naruto snarled back.

"So who's the freak over there?"

"He's Gaara of the sand." Naruto replied.

Naruto was transfixed now. He could now see the loneliness that he had missed before in the hospital. Gaara at the time had been completely transfixed on killing Lee. Now he was adrift and bit by bit he was turning into the monster that he believed he was.

"_I know that look; I used to have that look…" _Naruto mentally began comparing himself to the Sand Ninja in front of him. _"But then Kakashi came…and then Shikamaru, Choji and Lee… that made it bearable. But before then...if Kakashi hadn't found me…if I had stayed like that…would I have turned out like him?"_

"Attack you coward!! Otherwise I'll kill the girl right now!!"

"Alright you asked for it!!" Naruto threw up his hands and began summoning clones. Gaara was well equipped to handle them though and he blew out a gust of wind and sand that merely 'popped' each and every clone he had created.

"_No good.."_

"I think I'll toy with you a while."

Without so much as a twitch of warning he was slinging the sand bullets he had called shuriken at him. Naruto tried dodging and ducking but it was only a matter of time before one smacked him back. Before he could get all the way back up again he was sacked once more.

Finally it stopped and Naruto reached behind him. First was the kunai and then the paper he began to wrap around it. He had plenty of exploding tags by now. He had lessons with the pervert and then the rest of his evenings he merely spent studying up on different kinds of seals and use thereof.

Once he had it set he summoned clones again. Each clone now had their own kunai but only he had the one with the exploding tag. They all went forward pushing off of one another and trees. But none really got close. But Naruto finally did. He took careful aim with the kunai and tag and aimed towards the bottom of the beast's tail. His own logic told him that was the bottom of the 'gourd' that Gaara had once had on his back and if he could crack that the sand would leak out and maybe he would turn back into just Gaara…

The explosion knocked him backwards but he found Sasuke had regained some of his movement and they both crashed into each other on another sturdy branch.

"Hey you okay?"

As the smoke cleared both of them could see the deformation the blast had caused. Naruto did not wound the beast but he was on the right track of thinking.

"All that work and you only scored one hit? You loser." Sasuke was struggling to a sitting position finally.

"Oh shut it…at least I'm trying."

The claw around Sakura tightened again and Naruto panicked. If it kept doing this it would not be long until the girl was crushed to death beneath it. _"I wonder if I can attack the claw and get her loose? That might work…" _

"Naruto…listen to me. You have to save Sakura no matter what. Once you've got her I want you to flee as far away from you as you can. It's all up to you…"

Naruto saw a flash of what happened the last time Sasuke was talking that way. The way the senbon needles still stuck out of his skin and clothing. Here he was about to do the same stupid thing again. He still was not moving right but he got to his feet.

"I can hold him here, a little longer."

"Sasuke no way… we can…"

"I lost everything once already, I don't want to watch that again." Sasuke snapped.

"Then don't worry about it." Naruto stood too and smirked at Sasuke. "I get it now…I know what true strength is and so do you if you spent all this time with Kakashi-sensei…"

It was the same feeling he had felt when faced with Mizuki that night in the forest. He repeated his earlier trick and began creating clones. Finally when he released the Jutsu there were a good couple hundred or more of him all in various places of the forest.

"I don't believe it..." he heard Pakkun above him. Almost everyone around him wore a look of shock.

"Nice job kid! You show a lot of promise!!" Gamakichi called from his own spot nearby.

"How did you do this?!" Sasuke whispered, his own red eyes watching around to each and every Naruto he could see.

"Sasuke, why don't you rest a bit more, you still look a little winded."

With as many clones as he had produced, he finally got close enough and began hitting Gaara. The sand had not had the time to reapply itself and each kick knocked another chunk away from him. If he could keep this up as planned he would drive the Sand Ninja into the forest floor below. All was going well until he did hit the ground. Then he lost it.

"There is no way I'm losing to a guy like you!!"

A geyser of sand came flying up and a lot of the clones were instantly dispatched. Naruto himself went back into a tree. As the debris began to clear Naruto felt fear clutch at his gut truly and he watched in quiet horror.

"What the hell is that?" Sasuke muttered from nearby.

Naruto coughed then turned his eyes back upwards. This was no longer the Sand Ninja, this was something else entirely and it was HUGE. Finally he heard the thundering roar created by each step the… thing took and when finally all the smoke cleared away there was a large creature standing above the tree line, his golden eyes able to take in everything for the next couple of miles.

"So that's…that's it…the monster inside of him!"

"I never thought you would bring this out of me!!" Gaara's voice still echoed from the beast but it sounded distant and unworldly behind the snarl. It outreached its hand and without warning sand was pooling around him and all over him. He knew what this Jutsu looked like and he began to struggle to get free.

"Naruto!!!"

"_Dammit I used all my chakra on those clones…" _The sand quickly had him completely covered and he could feel the tightening worsening with each breath he took. But that opened the door for the other to come out…

"This is the end for you…Sand Burial!!"

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Naruto was not sure what he was expecting when he summoned this time around. He was hoping for the 'clumsy' Gamaken because that toad had looked better suited for a fight. He felt the sweet rush of air around him and he gulped in the air hungrily. When he finally opened his eyes again he saw he was now eye to eye with the large sand spirit.

He glanced down and found a completely different toad beneath him. This one was huge, bigger than Gamaken, and he was twirling a pipe in its mouth.

"Just what the hell is this!!" the toad bellowed angrily. He shook his head and Naruto found it hard to stick himself in place before he was shaken off. "Just who the hell are you!!"

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki!" he proclaimed proudly...until the yellow eyes narrowed at him. "Hey mind giving me a hand?"

"As if I would help a little snot like you!" the Toad blew out a cloud of smoke. "Gamabunta does not answer to the likes of little snots! You should be working for me, I'm the boss around here!"

"Whoa…now wait a second…hold on.." Naruto felt the frog trying to shake him free. Why was this toad so different from the others? The others usually were happy to help this one seemed pissed about being called into duty.

"Hey, hold it Pops!" Gamakichi somehow appeared atop Naruto's head. He blinked up at the little red toad that was grinning and settling into his hair. "This is Naruto, he's not too bad…"

"And just what are you doing here Gamakichi?"

"Had nothing better to do, I came to hang out." Gamakichi sat up and pointed out to the Sand spirit ahead of them. "Oh by the way, that guy out there, he was picking on me. But Naruto here stood up to him and went toe to toe…There's more to this kid than meets the eye!"

"Come again?" The larger toad narrowed his eyes once more but they were focused out ahead of them. "Well what do you know, Shukaku the Sand Spirit. Then I guess I have no choice. I'll accept you as one of my henchmen Kid, how does that grab you…"

"Henchmen!!! What the…"

"Hold tight." The frog reached down and pulled a sword from his belt. Naruto watched in amazement now seeing the difference in dogs and toads. This guy was much more useful than Pakkun had been. "I'll take him down…"

With a hop the large toad was off and running. Naruto fell backwards but quickly stuck himself on with what chakra he had left. It felt like he was flying all of the sudden with the speed in which they were going.

"Hold tight, small fry."

Gamabunta struck out with the sword. For a few seconds only he and the sand spirit were locked together. Finally the force from the sword tore off the limb it was cutting through and Gamabunta landed in the other direction of where Sasuke and Sakura were. Good if he kept coming this way maybe they could free Sakura before this got out of hand.

"hehe, Interesting! Interesting!!!" the large creature began to cackle. "Not bad Naruto Uzumaki."

"huh..That's your name huh?"

"I told you that already!" Naruto patted the head in frustration. What was with the attitude of this toad? Both of them had to look up when the sand began to move at the beast's forehead, just between his eyes.

"what's that…wait that's Gaara."

"Hmmm a Spiritualist medium."

"Thank you for entertaining me today… now I will show you the true power of the manifestation of the sand!"

"The circles under his eyes." The toad began to mutter beneath him. "They are signs of insomnia. Signs that the medium has been possessed by the sand spirit. "

"Huh…insomnia?"

"Those possessed by Shukaku are no longer able to sleep soundly through the night, the terror is too great. If one does sleep, the Shukaku slowly eats away at the psyche. Since they normally don't get much sleep, the medium's personality becomes erratic and unstable."

"_That's him in a nutshell." _

"But as long as the medium is awake, the Shukaku's true power remains in check."

"Play Possum Jutsu!"

Naruto flinched at the sound of Gaara's voice and watched as he slumped over. For a second the monster sat still on its hind legs. It was almost like a large statue. But after a few moments the golden orbs seemed to glow eerily and the demon raised its head back and began laughing loudly.

"I'm finally free!!!"

"That's it then? The sand spirit?" Naruto gulped noticing the change in the voice's tone and personality immediately.

"Man that is one funky demon." Gamakichi snickered from atop Naruto's spikes.

"Here we go! I hope you're ready to die!!" the creature pointed to them.

"Hold on, I'm going to jump." Gamabunta took the pipe from his mouth and crouched down.

"Wind Style: Air bullets!!"

The spirit seemed to expand around his stomach and finally the remaining paw reached out and pushed on the enlarged abdomen. When he did a volley of glowing orbs were flung in their direction. As he was warned Gamabunta leapt up at the last second. He responded by spitting a large glob of water at Shukaku but it was blocked by another wind blast.

They continued this back and forth until an air blast hit Gamabunta and they went flying. For a second Naruto was sure that the toad would be sent back. But instead he just flew back up and went back at the large raccoon looking thing. "I'll admit, hit me with a few more of those and I'll be done."

"Kid! You're going to have to wake the medium up if we're going to get anywhere."

"How do you suppose I'm gonna do that?"

"Maybe fire off a couple of rounds instead of just sitting there!!"

The frog went back on the offensive and soon he had his hands on Shukaku's shoulders. "Now's your chance!"

Before Naruto could get moving the sand spirit was forcing Gamabunta back.

"Well you're going to have to hold him if you want me to get him!"

"I can't keep my grip; I don't have any fangs or claws Kid."

"Well then what are we going to do?"

"A transformation jutsu into something we need!"

"What?"

"A combined transformation or do you not know what that is!!" Gamabunta landed finally and blinked up at him. "You form the hand sign and conjure up something with fangs and claws…got it?"

"Yeah I go..."

"Here we go!!"

Naruto panicked when the toad shoot off again. The only thing he could think of with fangs and claws at this particular moment was a very bad choice for the transformation. But the closer they got and the faster he went he had no other choice and did what he was told.

On the ground everything seemed otherworldly. There were two giants fighting all around them and Sasuke was unsure when the one of those giants were going to accidently step on them all. When had Naruto learned to do all of this? When had he gotten so strong? Sure he had his clues that Naruto had been faking during their years in the academy but he had not thought Naruto was faking that badly.

Watching the toad and sand creature go at one another was mesmerizing and as much as he should be trying to free Sakura and getting out of the area, he found he could do nothing but watch. Even when the toad's attacks began pelting the area with a drenching rainfall Sasuke could only stare upwards.

"_This is Naruto…This is what he's capable of…" _

Finally the toad landed and seemed to be talking to Naruto. Something about a transformation, but that could not be right. Summons could transform? Or was he asking Naruto to transform? It was a brief conversation anyways and the toad was charging towards the monster again. Mid-way there was a huge puff of smoke as the transformation took place and what emerged from the other side was just as terrifying at the monster before it.

It was a large fox.

It was a large fox with _nine tails. _

"What kind of battle is this turning into!!" Sasuke called out to no one in particular. It was infuriating, he had been barely able to keep himself ahead of the Sand Ninja and now Naruto and a summons was matching the insane creature blow for blow. Sure it seemed that the creature was only increasing his strength and power but the toad and Naruto seemed well equipped now that they were in the form of a fox.

"Amazing that he was even able to summon in that state." Pakkun landed beside his feet and looked up to the same fight he was watching. "But where did he learn to do that?"

"He didn't learn it from Kakashi?"

"No….the toads was one of the Sannin's contracts. I believe the last person to summon them here in Konoha was the Fourth Hokage."

"What?" Sasuke blinked back to the fight. The fox/toad had gripped onto the sand creature and had a good grip on him. With that grip established they let the transformation loose and Naruto came flying off of the toad's massive head, aiming straight for the small spot above the monster's eyes.

Slowly the fight was dying down as the creature squealed angrily and then went motionless again. The spot atop his head snapped to attention and Sasuke could finally make out that it was Gaara there atop the creature. All he could do was stare….

"_He said…he said that we both knew what true strength was…" _Sasuke brought up his hand and glared at the angry black marks marring his skin in the stripped and patched way. He had drawn upon the curse mark in a panic and what good had it done him? Naruto had no such mark and he was more than proving he could find a way to defeat any opponent given enough time and incentive.

Without warning a large breeze cut through the trees. Sasuke was forced to shield his eyes and brace himself against the force of it. As the wind began to die down the sand around Sakura began to leak away and he jumped to catch her before she hit the ground. Pakkun followed him and he laid Sakura down gently before glancing back out to the last place he had seen both creatures. There was nothing but a large dead spot in the forest where they had been.

"_Where did they go? What happened? _Naruto!_" _Sasuke stood and snarled. The summons must have been released and Gaara must have given up on that form of his. "Pakkun, stay with her…I have to go see what happened."

"Wait!!" Pakkun cried after him but Sasuke ignored it. He felt the curse mark receding back to its proper place and cringed a little when it finally did disappear again, but he felt renewed enough to push forward and try to track down Naruto.

When he finally found them both Naruto was virtually crawling towards the Sand Ninja who was lying still as could be. His teal eyes were staring upwards to the sky and he looked as if he was lost, completely lost. Naruto looked possessed now as he slowly inched his way towards Gaara.

The closer Naruto inched towards the Sand Ninja the wider his eyes seemed to get until he finally freaked out.

"No! Stay away!!"

"It's almost unbearable isn't it?" Naruto rasped and stopped moving for a moment. "That feeling of being all alone? I know that feeling too; in that dark and lonely place…maybe not as long as you have…but I know it well enough. But now there are people, people who mean a lot to me. I care more about them than I do myself."

"_Naruto…why…" _Sasuke clinched his fist. Why in the world was he like this? Why did he care about them so damn much…why did it hurt to realize that?

"I won't let anyone hurt them. That's why I won't ever give up. I will stop you, even if I have to kill you."

"But why? Why would you do this for anyone but yourself?"

"Because they saved me… they rescued me from my loneliness."

Sasuke could not take it anymore. Naruto was just tearing himself up more and it looked like Gaara could not move either. He knelt beside the boy and Naruto blinked up at him questioningly.

"Naruto, that's enough. Sakura's free, the sand crumbled away. I'm betting this guy is completely out of chakra. She'll be okay."

"Oh." Naruto let out a long sigh and began laying his head on the dirt below him. "That's a relief."

Just as Naruto lost consciousness the two other Sand Ninja came into view. They positioned themselves carefully in front of Gaara and glared at him and Naruto. He fingered his kunai pouch nervously and waited to see what the next move was going to be.

Surprisingly it was Gaara who decided the next move.

"That's enough." The red-head whispered. "It's over."

It shocked the two other Sand Ninja into looked to him and not Sasuke. They seemed completely taken aback by the boy's words and Sasuke had to admit feeling the same. He would have assumed the red-head would fight to the death. But something had changed. There had been some understanding that fell between Naruto and he and from where he was crouched Gaara looked almost defeated, confused…

"Alright Gaara." The boy finally relented and bent to pick up the battered teen. He and the girl stood slowly and regarded him one more time. Then they were gone, retreating one more time. Sasuke sighed and looked down to Naruto, now very unconscious.

"Where there the heck is that dog of yours, dobe?" He muttered and looked around him. "Now I gotta figure out how to get you and Sakura back."

Sasuke was struggling to get the boy up. Between his pushing his limits and the curse mark, every muscle he had was screaming bloody murder. He had a good idea where he left Pakkun and Sakura but what good did it do to go back to her? There was no way he could carry them both and if he tried Naruto's shadow clone trick it would probably force him unconscious as well.

A loud bark broke his concentration and he swung around, Naruto's arm draped loosely around his own shoulders. As if the dog was psychic, it was Ririshii rushing through the tree line that still existed in this area and came to a skidding stop just in front of Sasuke, ears laid back and sniffing worriedly at the blonde.

"There you are…" Sasuke began to ground out.

"Well there are two of them at any rate."

Just behind the dog came Asuma and Shikamaru. Sasuke blinked at them both then down to Ririshii who was not really paying any attention to any of them now that he had found Naruto. "What are you two doing here?"

"Where's Sakura?" Shikamaru frowned looking around for the pink-haired girl. How had he known Sakura was with them?

"I left her with Pakkun…"

"Let's find her then." Asuma came over carefully at first then relieved him of Naruto's dead weight. "Is he…"

"I think he just overdid it." Sasuke grunted and rolled his shoulder.

"And where's those Sand Ninja?" Shikamaru folded his arms in front of him and eyed Sasuke suspiciously. It nearly made Sasuke snort and refuse to answer but the careful eye of the Jounin with them tapped down the urge.

"They got out of dodge. Naruto really beat Gaara bad and they decided to flee."

Asuma grunted in some affirmation and Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. Nothing more was said as he lead them back to where he had left Pakkun and Sakura. All the while he felt a war going on inside of his head. _"We both know what true strength is…" _

"_But what if he's wrong?" _

_

* * *

_

An invasion.

Perhaps the whole of the village had become lax and weak in this time of peace and had allowed this to happen. Of course it was an excuse conjured up by his too worn and too preoccupied brain to try to cope with the events of the day. Sound and Sand had joined together, for whatever insane reason, to try to take down the Leaf Village. Granted they had shoved them back rather forcibly but that was only _after_ the worst thing could have happened and they had all suffered heavy losses.

The arena had finally been cleared; Kabuto had once again fled once it was clear Orochimaru was also retreating; being carried by the four ninja that had created the barrier. Kakashi still bristled at the thought of letting the younger male through his fingers for a second time and berated himself even now as he went along the quiet streets of Konoha.

A good deal of the invading force had finally retreated or had been dealt with but they had to be sure and anyone who was able was still out looking.

Granted Kakashi's mind was divided into about five different directions and it was hard to stay on task.

Maybe he had been reckless in sending them alone. Maybe he had been hoping Sakura and Naruto could convince Sasuke to fall back and they would have returned shortly instead of the hours it had taken them to finally reappear. They had reappeared with Asuma; according to Kurenai Asuma had taken it upon himself to tail after the Genin seeing as one of them was his own. And it looked like Asuma had been good on _his_ hunch by tailing them.

Sasuke looked frayed. He did not look too badly hurt but he just looked unsettled and tired. He was carrying Sakura who was unconscious but she did not seem to have any wounds or reason for being in that state. He still was unsure as to why she was. Naruto, being carried by Asuma and followed closely by Ririshii and Shikamaru, looked like he had run through a bladed gauntlet.

As much as Kakashi wanted to tail Asuma when they had drug back into Konoha he and the others had more pressing matters to attend to. He was back with a good deal of the ANBU squads he used to work with as they scoured the village for any remnants or sleeper cells that would wait till their guards dropped again to attack.

It was merely a precaution because Kakashi felt that what was going to happen already had. When Orochimaru had fled like the coward he was, most of the Sand and Sound Ninja followed suit. They had good reason too; if a Sannin had fled what chance did they all have? Still he had his duty and he was first and foremost a Ninja of the Leaf.

Near sunset it finally became clear that they had routed out the intruders and there was little else a lot of them could do. Kakashi relinquished some of the control he had and went off to find his Genin.

It was not really hard to find them all. His first location to check yielded a German shepherd curled up protectively under one particular window of the hospital and even Kakashi's approach had not roused the dog much more than an opened chocolate eye and a whimper.

Kakashi decided to take the mundane way through the hospital and take his time locating all three. To his surprise, however, they were all located together and he stood silently at the door for a moment just watching. Sasuke still looked tired but not as worn as he sat uncomfortably up against a wall, glaring slightly at the bed in the room. Sakura was sitting on the bed itself and she barely looked worse for wear, so it was more likely that she had just been momentarily knocked unconscious by a hit or a knock back…nothing too serious…

In the bed was Naruto, who was still out cold. There were bandages all over his face and arms and his face was scrunched up as if he were having a nightmare. The way his one hand kept gripping at his side and the way he would almost frown when it met only sheets, Naruto was more than likely grasping for Ririshii, not finding him, and becoming upset enough to notice but not as much to rouse him yet.

The surprising thing was Sakura who sat just behind Naruto's back and was silently stroking his hair while she sat there. The pink-haired girl was worried beyond belief and she was openly showing that concern for the blonde.

"_Hmm, seems she's warming up to him." _

"Sakura, stop. You might wake him up." Sasuke muttered very quietly and eyed the girl momentarily. "He probably needs it, let him sleep."

"But Sasuke, he looks upset." Sakura was whispering too. They were both afraid of waking the blonde.

"He's exhausted." Sasuke murmured and pulled his arms up around his chest. "You should have seen how many clones he made, Sakura. Then there was that toad he summoned when that guy transformed…"

"He…he did all that?" Sakura's eyes widened for a moment and turned to face Sasuke fully.

"Yeah, once that Sand freak got you trapped, something just clicked I guess. He was…he really has been faking Sakura. He was so determined to protect us…"

Sakura smiled a little bit and went back to slowly petting the blonde spikes. "Well all the more reason then. He's probably wondering where Riri is…Riri's all he's got…he's probably lonely without him. Maybe it'll make him feel better to know we're here to protect him."

Kakashi could not help but raise his eyebrow and lean against the doorway a little. It was all kind of touching really, a few months ago the three would be at each other's throats now…. Sasuke was practically hovering by the wall, worried Sakura was going to wake the blonde prematurely. Sakura was worried that Naruto was lonely and scared all by himself. This had to be what Orochimaru was worried about when it came to Sasuke. Naruto wormed his way right in there and stuck there. Sakura and Sasuke were no different and the three finally seemed to be a team.

Sasuke finally realized his presence and turned those observant eyes on him. Sakura heard his huff and turned to see him as well.

"Hey. You three alright?" he gave a little half-wave as he straightened up and walked into the room.

"Late as always." Sasuke was grinning to himself as he shook his head at Kakashi. Sakura gasped a little then surprisingly, at least to Kakashi, she rushed forward and locked her arms around his waist.

"Kakashi-sensei! You're alright!!"

Kakashi was shocked by the sudden contact. When had she become so familiar with him? Still, as she shook slightly and clutched her arms around him Kakashi felt compelled to let his hand rest atop her head to try to comfort her. He really was going soft….

"There now Sakura, nothing to be worried about…"

She finally let go and sheepishly wiped at her eyes, nodding in affirmation to his statement. "Sorry…"

"So, are you three alright?" His eye traveled over to the bed momentarily then back to the two that could actually answer questions.

"Yeah, we're fine." Sasuke snorted a bit but was smiling a little to himself now. Maybe they had all been worried, not just Sakura. "And they said Naruto should be fine by morning too."

Kakashi nodded thoughtfully, trying to keep up his pretense of aloofness but failing horribly. He could see the slight twitches in the blonde and sighed, walked over to the window and opened it.

"Sensei?" Sakura was asking after him but he ignored her. He proceeded to let out a low, shrill whistle. The sound caught Ririshii's attention and the dog sat up and cocked its head to the side at Kakashi. Kakashi waved him up and in seconds the dog was in the window sill, slinking his way quietly into the hospital room.

Once in, he quickly stepped over to where Naruto was and climbed into the small bed, used to such closer quarters, and curled up with his nose buried in Naruto's hair. At this Naruto finally latched onto the familiar spot of fur on Riri's shoulders and just buried himself in the dog's side.

"See he was lonely." Sakura was sticking her tongue out at Sasuke playfully. Sasuke responded with his usual huff.

"So anyone mind telling me why Naruto is in such a state?" Kakashi turned back to the other two and crossed his arms. He had a good guess from the limited information he had already heard but not everything.

Sakura began with them being with Shikamaru and how the lazy bum had gone back to play decoy and how she and Naruto had finally found Sasuke. That was when Sasuke began taking up the tale because shortly after finding Sasuke the Sand Ninja had pinned Sakura to a tree and knocked the wind out of her badly enough to knock her unconscious.

"Then that guy grew a tail. I tried to do another Chidori…but…"

"And how many had you done up to that point?"

"Two."

"That's an awful big risk to take." Kakashi frowned and saw Sasuke was frowning as well and avoiding eye contact, as if he were guilty.

"What else was I supposed to do? The freak just kept morphing. I don't even think he was human. Anyway it didn't do any good and he really began changing. He was huge. He looked like a raccoon or something…I'm not sure what it was but it was…odd."

"But then Naruto, he did a summoning jutsu and he summoned this huge toad. It was as big as the other freak…"

"_So he did learn something from Jiraiya in a month. _How did this toad look?"

"He was wearing a coat and was smoking a pipe at first. Then he whipped out a sword and began attacking while Naruto was on his head."

Kakashi again looked to the bed, the blonde was now much more peaceful now that his dog had been allowed in. He was suddenly aware of what Naruto was out like this. Normally it would have only taken him an hour at most to recoup what he had lost and he would be back on his feet. It was astonishing, it had taken his previous bout with Neji, a mass summoning of clones, and the summoning of a toad the size of two city blocks to finally hit his limit.

"So he hit his limit then?"

"That's what they're telling us. Course they didn't seem to look at him that much." Sakura seemed pensive and worried again. She wrung her hands and looked at the door. "Maybe if someone else would come…"

"I'm sure he's fine Sakura." Kakashi smirked. Sure he had that momentary worry glance by him but Naruto's breathing was fine and after Ririshii was allowed in he had stopped scowling and moving about restlessly. The boy was just as Sasuke had said; exhausted. "You two should go home and rest too. Sakura, I'm sure your mother is worried sick."

Sakura flinched as if the reminder had smacked her. She must have completely zoned into the mission and then zoned out once waking back up in the village. "Oh no, I forgot about Mom. What if something happened…"

"Come on," Sasuke stood and quickly pulled on Sakura's shirt sleeve a bit. "I'll walk you home."

Sakura nodded numbly and allowed the dark-haired raven to lead her along to the door and out into the hallway. Kakashi also made the motion to appear to be leaving as well and disappeared once hitting the hallway. Once he was sure they were both off the grounds he positioned himself in the window he had opened for Riri to keep watch and to just have a moment to rest for himself.

This day had been from hell and the end result was just maddening. The Third Hokage was dead, killed by Orochimaru, and he had not named a successor. It was hard to say what was going to happen now, with all the uncertainties flying about and the village in tatters, but it was safe to say that names were going to start popping up and his _might _be one of them.

He was able to quiet his mind enough to start dozing in the window and was only awakened hours later in the dead of night when he heard the quiet, frantic whispers.

"What did I do? Why did I do something so stupid?" Naruto was sitting up now; huddled slightly over his knees clutching at his head. "Why? Why did that stupid old man have to throw me off that cliff? Why did he force me to it? Why… Why couldn't I just keep on pretending it wasn't there…"

Kakashi was stunned momentarily. He had not seen Naruto have one of these little panic spells since he was six and he had accidently broken some little trinket that the Third had on his desk when he had gone to visit the old man one night. Again he heard the main word of the last two sentences and just like in the arena, _it_ was back in play.

He slid of his perch and carefully walked over to the bed where Naruto was still berating himself and clutching tighter and tighter to his head.

"They know…they have to know now…Sasuke had to see it. Why didn't I think of a bear or a big dog… I had to think of _that_." Naruto cringed and balled his hands up into fists with spare blonde spikes sticking out between his fingers.

"Naruto…" he whispered, hoping to break the loop Naruto was in but so far he seemed stuck.

"That was twice in one day I did it. I KNEW that was what he was up to. It had to be what he wanted. He wanted me to pull on it until I did like Gaara… until I turned into it."

Kakashi reached out slowly and grabbed hold of Naruto's arm. The touch had Naruto's head snapping up in wide-eyed horror. He more than likely he believed he had been alone with Ririshii and now was fearful that someone had over heard him. Slowly the look of panic softened and Naruto blinked to clear the fog.

"Calm down, you're only going to get yourself worked up." Kakashi released the boy's arm and stood quietly while the boy tried to reign in the panic. Once he was sure Naruto was a bit more level-headed he cocked his head to the side to capture Naruto's line of sight. "So it sounds like we need to talk."

Naruto only hung his head, the blonde spikes only marginally concealing the features of his face. He looked a tad guiltier than Sasuke had before. Whatever had happened he was guilty over the fact.

"Naruto, what happened? Obviously it is something important." Kakashi prodded lightly and Naruto shuddered. "I highly doubt it has anything to do with your match, you did win after all. It isn't about what happened outside of Konoha, you all returned in once piece…"

"It started with that dirty old pervert." Naruto ground out and reached up to clutch at his shirt just above his naval. "I should've known he was up to something but I was stupid."

"You mean Jiraiya-sama?" Kakashi quirked an eyebrow. Naruto seemed awfully harsh on the man.

"So you do know him.' Naruto's voice dipped lower.

"I do. He was sensei's teacher."

"He's also a jerk."

"That's awfully harsh. _Not untrue but harsh. Usually Jiraiya-sama is much nicer at first." _

"When he started training me he kept telling me I had two chakras and I should learn how to use them both." Naruto recited through clenched teeth. "I kept telling him no. I know what that other chakra is, I didn't WANT to learn how to use it."

Kakashi waited patiently for Naruto to continue. It was an odd direction Jiraiya had taken with the boy's training. What purpose did using the fox's chakra have? Wasn't that dangerous? Wouldn't it weaken the seal?

"But then he tossed me off that cliff. And I didn't have a choice; I had already burned up a lot of my chakra on the seals…"

"He did what?" Kakashi could not help but feel baffled by the odd training method. What the hell was Jiraiya thinking?

"He shoved me off a cliff just outside of town. I really did not mean to Nii-san, but if I didn't I was dead. But then…then it spoke…. I didn't think it could speak."

"The fox?" Kakashi quiered remembering the broken line of reasoning Naruto had earlier. _"If it can talk so can his…" _

"Yeah." Naruto whispered in return, clutching at the sheets in front of him as Ririshii slept on beside him. "That damn pervert, he did it on purpose. I didn't want to use it but I kept using it. When I was fighting Neji and then again to summon Gamabunta…"

Kakashi lowered his head and sighed. So Jiraiya had opened up a doorway for Naruto to access and use the fox's chakra. From the standpoint of the Sannin, he supposed it was logical. The design of the seal was to slowly integrate the chakra with Naruto's as his chakra system was able to handle it. However, it was still a terrifying gambit to run. Who was to say Naruto's points were not strong enough to carry that load and it shattered the seal?

"I'm just like that Gaara kid." Naruto continued to whisper. "He's got the same thing inside of him. He was talking to it and it made him crazy. I don't want…"

"Naruto." Kakashi cut him off from another rambling session. "I highly doubt that is what is going to happen. The fox has never spoken to you before has it?"

"No."

"So it only did so because you found it. He forced you to face it." Kakashi rubbed at his nose and tried desperately to think of a way to reassure Naruto. "And you did not make the decision to use its chakra lightly did you?"

"No, not really."

"Then I believe I can understand where Jiraiya is coming from, though I am starting to question his methods…" Kakashi did have to admit shock on that particular point. Had Jiraiya really thrown the boy to his death just to force Naruto to draw out the Kyuubi's chakra?

"Tell me about it." Naruto snorted slightly and some of the tension along his body began to loosen.

"In the case of the Sand Genin, Gaara was it, maybe you two are alike in a couple of ways but there should be one reason you differ from one another."

"Yeah….you found me." Naruto sighed heavily and finally met Kakashi's eye. "But it isn't fair. Why would their village do that to him? I mean, the village certainly has never liked me but at least some people were nice to me. Why didn't anyone try to help him?"

"That's really something I can't answer." Kakashi shrugged. Leave it to Naruto to start sympathizing with an enemy that had just attacked him. Granted, this enemy did have something they both shared and could relate to. "But what's done is done; you can't undo any of it. I know you are unnerved by using 'its' chakra but sooner or later you have to accept the fact that it's there. I'm not saying it's not dangerous to use that chakra, it is, but there may be a day that you don't have a choice in the matter."

"I just don't want to make them right. I don't want to prove I'm some kind of monster…"

Kakashi reached over and let his hand land on Naruto's head. He knelt slightly and ruffled the hair as he finally caught Naruto's eyes again. "Trust me; you are the furthest thing from a monster. From what I hear from Sasuke and Sakura you're a hero."

Naruto only lowered his head again and seemed to mull that idea over slowly. Kakashi let him and began trying to think over what the Sannin had been doing exactly when he did throw Naruto. Jiraiya would not have let the boy get hurt but that was something that would have shaken the already shaky ground they were on and Jiraiya had to have known it would push Naruto away.

"_Maybe he didn't listen to the warning about him being like Kushina…" _Kakashi sighed and turned towards the window. It was getting late and at some point he should really sleep, not just doze because the next few days was going to be D-Ranks or higher for everyone. The village needed rebuilding and they needed to keep up appearances that they were still able to work.

"Can we go home? I hate sleeping here…" Naruto glanced around him nervously and pushed Ririshii slightly. The dog came awake and blinked at them both while Kakashi tossed around the idea of telling him no.

Instead he caved in and tossed the kid his clothes. Naruto was quickly changed and Ririshii shook himself before coming off the bed. Kakashi was going to be getting a talking too when they found the dog hair on the bed. He had, after Sakura had voiced her concerns, gone to see who had inherited the kid and was checking on him and had found Yoshida Kita, a.k.a. Yoshi. The woman was just as harried as the others in the hospital and he only relaxed and went back to his post. Yoshi would not let anything happen to Naruto on her watch.

Course she was also pretty strict and knew who Naruto resided with and who would have let the animal in. Kakashi merely told himself the Inuzuka were allowed to have their animals with them, Naruto should have the same. Whether Yoshi would buy that excuse or not was up for debate.

She probably would not be too happy about him giving Naruto the okay to go home without consulting her first either. But they walked through the darkened hallways towards the exit and no one really bothered to stop them. Like Kakashi and the other ninja of the village, the medics had more to do than they had hands at the moment.

Once out in the quiet calm of the night Kakashi took note of who was on watch in key areas they passed and agreed with whoever was calling the shots in the Sandaime's absence. Someone had to have taken hold of the reigns and as long as that person was not Danzo they could all breath a little easier for the time being.

The destruction and the higher guard did not go unnoticed by Naruto who reached to steady himself momentarily on Ririshii.

"Man, they…they really hurt us didn't they?"

"It was a well thought out offensive, one that took us off guard momentarily." Kakashi agreed slightly. "They had a plan in place to do a lot of damage quickly. But they underestimated our ability to quickly react."

Naruto stopped at one point and was looking upwards. Kakashi stopped as well and followed Naruto's line of sight up to the Hokage faces. It was an odd thing to see but at some point a crack had formed through the Third Hokage's face in the mountain. Kakashi felt his gut twist because he knew what question was going to come out of the blonde's mouth before he even opened it. Seeing that crack in the stone would obviously remind him of what he saw before Kakashi sent the three of them off after Sasuke.

"Hey Nii-san, is Jiji alright?"

And there it was. Kakashi shoved his hands in his pockets and hung his head momentarily before shaking it back and forth.

"Naruto….the Hokage he…." He was struggling with this. He had been able to deliver this type of news with ease before but this time he knew the impact it was going to have. It was going to be like finding out Rin or the Fourth was dead for him. Naruto had not yet lost someone obviously this close to him and it was going to wound him. "He's gone."

"What do you mean gone?" Naruto's eyes instantly turned up to him and Kakashi frowned. He understood what Kakashi meant he wanted an explanation.

"He and Orochimaru had their own battle, atop the stadium. The Third was able to drive Orochimaru away but at the cost of his own life."

"You're lying." Naruto's voice took on a cold tone as the boy's face paled and he shook his head against the idea of it. When Kakashi did not answer to the accusation he only shook his head harder. "You have to be…he was…he was the…"

Kakashi waited patiently to see how Naruto was going to deal with it. They were out in the open, a lot of things had just happened around him and too him, and Kakashi would not be that surprised if this just sent the boy into a kind of shock. It was the reason he toyed with the idea of telling him he had to stay the night at the hospital.

Naruto's head went back up to the face in question and just stared at it, a silent tear finding its way down his cheek. It was soaked up by the one bandage on that particular cheek but it did not absolutely stop the flow that started. Ririshii whimpered and nudged his head underneath Naruto's hand and licked softly at the boy's fingertips opposite of him.

It seemed to prod Naruto slightly and the blonde just began walking again, his head hung low and his gaze glued to the darkened pathways he probably knew in his sleep by now. Instinct was driving him to the only other place of comfort he now had and Kakashi took up to the other side, quiet as a mouse.

They continued on in this silence until they finally reached home. Naruto was quick to enter the usual manner, through a slightly opened window, and seemed in a rush to merely hit the couch in a curled up ball and the torrent finally found its outlet. He had kept his head in check long enough to get to the privacy of _his_ apartment and just could not hold in the pain anymore.

Ririshii took a seat on the floor just beside the boy's head and pushed his muzzle till he could lick slowly and methodically at the boy's face. Kakashi took his leave of them for a moment, to remove the dirt and blood spattered clothing he was tired of wearing and stood under a quick shower for a moment just to clear his head.

It was inevitable to face this. Death was a part of what being a ninja was not to mention it was just a fact of life. But for Naruto he had lost something he was probably sure he could not replace. Sandaime was just what Naruto called him; grandfather and as far as Naruto knew there was no other who would ever take that title.

"_This generation has never known a war." _His mind thought morbidly and he shuddered at the thought of it. There had been a time so many of them were sure they were going to have to form another memorial stone to hold all the names of the dead. How long had they all been at peace? How had that peace shaped what had happened here today?

He shut off the water and shook his gray hair angrily and listened intently around him. The sobs had quieted somewhat but he could still hear the quiet sniffs and the sound of Ririshii whimpering intermittently. Peace was a tricky thing and it was why Danzo was so feared among the Jounin. Peace allowed them to get comfortable and loose some of their focus but it also created this wonderful feeling of security. War…war was just anguish and suffering and hatred. If he had to choose one over the other he was like a great deal of them all that would go with peace.

And if he had the power he more than likely would have tried to keep the three Genin from this for as long as he could but it had finally hit more than one of them before and would again.

He redressed and padded quietly back to the couch and stepped over Ririshii's head carefully to come to rest on the floor next to the dog but close enough to one of Naruto's elbows to just let his hand rest there while he kept his lazy eye on the windows. There would be many people at a loss because of what had happened today, the Hokage was by no means the only fatality. Still it would be the one most felt.

Orochimaru had done this. He maybe had not destroyed the whole of the village like he maybe had wanted to do, but he succeeded in cutting off the village's most vital part. The Hokage stood for so many things to so many different people, of course they would all feel somewhat adrift until that role was again filled by a leader they could all trust in.

Kakashi glanced back to Naruto, now quiet but by no means asleep or restful. This was what Naruto was undertaking and why he had been so stunned by the dream that seemed to have come out of nowhere. This was what Naruto wanted more than anything….

And it was not as if he could not see the probability in it. Naruto would do just as the Third had done and yes, more than likely what the Fourth had done, all to save Konoha or his friends and family. It was just that protective side of him that reared its ugly head and tried to dissuade Naruto from that goal at first.

Though it would take a while for this wound to heal, it would, and Naruto would better understand what the role of Hokage was for the village. More than likely it would only intensify his drive for it and harden his resolve.

Kakashi smiled a little, despite the mood around them all, and patted reassuringly on the exposed shoulder under his ungloved hand. Little did Naruto know that not only was he the Fourth's Legacy… he was now the Third's.

* * *

**Author note x2: **I couldn't resist myself. I had to get to that point and I'll have to get to the point where Jiraiya gets back in on things. *rubbing hands together happily* oh yeah and Tsunade … :D *squeeeee* I so love some of these arcs. Actually the Tsunade Arc holds very special place for me. It was the arc that I saw on CN that I finally looked up and said, "oh what the heck is this? Oh me likes!!!" so yeah… fav. Arc by far. Alright off and away to plot more evil games. Side note: longest chapter outta them all so far XD WOOOOT go muse!


	20. Choices

**The Fox and the Hound**

Chapter 16: Choices

Chapter Summary: It is a time of great change for Konoha and of great upheaval. Who will replace Sarutobi as Hokage? What does the future hold for all the denizens of this peaceful village?

**Author Note: **So things slowly and surely will be changing from cannon I think. Granted this chapter will have certain key points and there are still some things that should stay the same but the closer it gets to certain events the more certain I am of changing it for the better. Scared to death that it might be too big of a change but hell this is fanfic and I'm up for a challenge.

Oh…and for those dying to know when it finally gets outta the bag about Kaka-Naru and all… it's after the Tsunade arc. After writing different versions and all that I have what is the most fun and lengthy piece and it opens the door up for the biggest change later down the road so heheheheh I'm running with it. Still there are days I miss the old days of betas and forums where I had partners in crime to check ideas against before just plunging in.

* * *

It was rather fitting; the thought crossed his mind lazily and hung around for a moment before disappearing, that it was raining. It was the day of the funeral and that morning had found rather large rain clouds rolling in. By the time of the official start there was a nice, steady, pelting rain. It just fit the mood of the village on this particular week.

Kakashi let the cold drops soak through the simple black clothing he wore and just stared at stone in front of him as the rain began to slick its surface. He could assume he was missed by three, if not more people, but he seemed to have lost the ability to move from the exact spot he was in all of the sudden.

As the sun had risen that day, shadowed by the heavy rain-laden clouds, he had made sure Naruto was supplied with the proper black clothing and told Ririshii, out in the living room of all places that morning, where he would be. After that he merely set off for the familiar setting of the memorial stone and that was where he was staying, strangely enough. Instead of going off to join the ranks to honor the fallen and their slain Hokage, he stood here in the cold, dreary rain.

Fresh names had been etched upon the smooth surface of the stone. You could barely tell, the etcher entrusted with this job was of excellent skill, still he had a pretty good length of the names and suddenly it had become longer. There were some names there he recognized and some he did not but they all were fellow Shinobi who had died protecting their village. A fitting end for any Shinobi but an end nonetheless.

Naruto had been near nonexistent in the apartment for the day following the revelation of the truth and Kakashi had allowed him his solace. Naruto needed this time to accept this and move on without anyone else trying to shove that acceptance onto him. Kakashi had merely gone to check on the other two and surprisingly found them at their usual meeting place, ready to with rebuilding the village. Sakura had asked after Naruto and Kakashi had told her the truth in a fashion; that he was still recovering at home, and both she and Sasuke had accepted the answer with little more than nods.

The second day, Naruto had joined them and they had merely allowed him and Ririshii to rejoin them with little question or annoyance.

Today was the funeral and Kakashi was certain Naruto had probably sought out Sakura and Sasuke to attend it with. He seemed to have accepted the fact that Sarutobi was gone but he still seemed rather subdued and depressed. It was not hard to see he was still mourning.

Kakashi was not too sure where exactly he was at this point either. He came to the memorial so infrequently now it seemed odd to revert to this old habit out of the blue. But as his eye hit each name he realized why it was he had come. The events of the past few days had him thinking of those long gone and he needed to reaffirm something with each of them.

To Obito he was mentally promising come hell or high water not to let anything happen to Sasuke. Sasuke was a distant cousin to Obito but he was still family and something told him that Obito would _want _him to keep an eye on the last Uchiha alive in the village. He would keep this promise unlike so many others he had been unable to keep to Obito.

He teased and berated Rin endlessly. He cursed her for the name of his friend and how Yoshi was starting to try to replace her and was making damn sure neither he nor Naruto forgot she existed. He told her of Sakura, how much the pink-haired girl reminded him of her and how hoped, _prayed, _it was not the same result this time around.

And Sensei…

"_You should see him Sensei… You would be proud. Just when you think you have him figured out he goes and does something so unexpected; just like Kushina would have. I just can't help but feel like I'm useless though; that I can only take him so far…." _

His thoughts came to a skidding halt as he felt the presence behind him. He turned his one eye over his shoulder and frowned seeing just the smudge of white against the dreary gray backdrop. Unless Jiraiya was trying to mask his presence, he was a hard man to miss, and for today he wanted to be seen. There leaning up on the nearby middle post, was the white-haired Sannin frowning after him. Kakashi sighed, wondered where exactly this was going to go, and then turned to walk up to the older man.

"You still come here kid?" Jiraiya muttered when Kakashi finally got within earshot of him. "One would think you'd learn to stop livin' in the past."

"One would think." Kakashi jabbed back in kind. He shook his head afterwards and gazed back at the stone. "Sometimes though, it helps to check in…from time to time."

"Hmph." Jiraiya turned and leaned his back against the stump, crossing his arms as he did. "Where's the other brat? I'm surprised he didn't pick up this habit too."

"I believe he is with the rest of his cell at the funeral." Kakashi pushed some of his hair back up, the rainfall was finally starting to drench the gray spikes enough that they were hanging in his face. "The question is what are you doing here?"

"Lying low." Jiraiya said with a dead serious face. "Sooner or later they're going to try to rope me into that job and I'm not having it."

"Don't think Naruto would either." Kakashi smirked a little to himself, remembering the harsh and unkind names Naruto muttered after talking about the Sannin.

"Heh. Kid still hot at me is he?"

"Well it is kind of hard to over look being shoved to one's death. It is a rather jarring experience." Kakashi cocked his head to the side and tried to get a better gage on Jiraiya's reaction. The old man was silently smirking and shaking his head back and forth slowly. "I do have to admit not knowing your reasons but I'm sure you had them…"

"My, aren't we protective." Jiraiya teased.

"It isn't an unfounded question." Kakashi crossed his arms as well and hardened his tone. He knew Jiraiya had some reason and he really did want to hear it. If it were no more than mere curiosity about the seal and if Naruto could draw on the fox's chakra, that just was not enough to justify the means. "Do you know how long it has taken to get him to this point? How long it has taken for him to finally not look at someone and believe instantly they are out to harm him? I understand throwing him, to a point yes, but if it was only to see if he could…"

"No it was to make him face it. Jiraiya rebuked him harshly. "You do realize he was avoiding it all together don't you?"

Kakashi could not argue with that assessment. After that lazy day after Naruto had learned the truth, Kakashi had believed Naruto would merely come up with harder and harder questions about it. Instead there had been silence and Naruto seemed to accept the fact far easier than first believed. Instead it was likely he was doing as Jiraiya assumed; avoiding it.

"That still does not explain why you tossed him off a cliff." Kakashi muttered sure there had to be more to it than just Naruto's avoidance.

"When I left the village, I was after Orochimaru. That was my goal that was my drive. For a good long time that was enough to satisfy me. He seemed to have no destination or goal in mind but then he joined an organization."

"An organization?" This seemed an odd direction for the path of the conversation to take but Kakashi patiently waited to see what it was Jiraiya was hitting at.

"Yes, they call themselves the Akatsuki. For a while it was unclear what this organization's goals were but they consist of nine of the most dangerous S-Class criminals from a wide variety of the countries. That type of organization is not getting together for anything good."

"It also begs the question of why Orochimaru joined. He never was much of a 'team' player." Kakashi muttered taking a side long glance behind him.

"Exactly. No his reasons were much more personal and more than likely the progression of events that lead to him marking Sasuke." Jiraiya frowned up at the rain for a moment before sighing. "He more than likely joined because Uchiha Itachi is one of their members."

Kakashi's eyebrow rose questioningly. Itachi was still out there then. That did not bode well. Orochimaru had his sights set squarely on the Sharingan and was out to get it at all costs.

"I will assume, because Orochimaru went silent a few years later, he made his move against Itachi and was forced to retreat." Jiraiya eyed Kakashi, making sure that the implication was as clear as it could be, and then turned away again. "It was around the same time that the organization was splitting up into groups of two and setting out."

"Rounin?" Kakashi guessed but Jiraiya began shaking his head again.

"That is what I believed at first too, but it became clear what they were after when the first pair returned. They are splitting up, taking on odd jobs and learning new jutsu…and hunting the bijou."

Kakashi stopped. They were after…"The bijou?"

"Yes. They had captured an Iwa man. At first I was not sure of his significance. I merely believed he was a bounty that had outwitted capture for most of his life, but the more I dug around Rock the more people I found that said he was a Missing Nin, one who had fled Rock. I finally found the man's family and they admitted not knowing where he was, that he had fled from Rock because he was jinchuuriki who was tired of being used. Apparently he was the container for the Five-Tailed beast."

Kakashi naturally turned behind him towards the village. There were people actively seeking these bijou and their containers? "For what purpose?"

"No one is sure, but the outcome isn't pretty." Jiraiya's voice lowered substantially. "They are relieving the host of the bijou, which is fatal to the host."

"_Fatal to the host…" _

"So no, I was not _curious_ to if he could or not. I was forcing him to face it because he might have to rely on it." Jiraiya peered over his shoulder, the white spikes concealing most of his face. The tone was very clear, however, and Kakashi flinched. There had been a very good reason, one Naruto or he could not particularly fathom at this point and for a moment he felt a tinge of worry. "He's talented and has a good deal of potential but you'll admit he's not exactly as quick on the uptake as that Uchiha kid is. There is no amount of cramming that prepares you for something like that and you need a bigger trump card than a small army of shadow clones."

"But the fox of all things?" Kakashi turned his attention back to the issue being brought up. "That's the answer?"

"Not really an answer." Jiraiya huffed and pushed away from the stump to turn to face Kakashi finally. "A temporary patch perhaps. He's what, twelve? If they happen to find him before he's had the time to properly train himself up he's dead in the water unless me or you are with him and we can't be there all the time now can we?"

Kakashi nodded mutely. Jiraiya had a very good point in his reasoning but it still seemed an extremely risky chance to take, relying on the fox's chakra.

"Anyway, I'm fairly certain Minato designed the damn thing to have a safeguard." Jiraiya took a few steps till he was standing at Kakashi's shoulder, looking out over the stone and towards Konoha. "If what I read was correct, there's only a certain level the seal will let it get to before something intervenes."

"Something…it doesn't say what? That's awfully vague for Sensei."

"Well perhaps you can look it over, genius, and you can figure it out." Jiraiya reach over and shoved slightly at Kakashi's shoulder. "And like I said before it's a temporary fix. Sure it might speed up the process a bit which only gives the kid a larger reservoir of chakra; not a bad thing. But it might give him enough till we can figure out a way to prepare him; get him up to speed."

Kakashi took another glance at the memorial stone. Again he felt the worry creep back in about not being enough for this. Jiraiya was far better suited to this task than he was. Then again, was he really able to relinquish that much control over the situation after this long?

"So how close do you think I can get to him given the fact that I did what I did?" Jiraiya smirked knowingly over to Kakashi who only sighed.

"Why do you ask?"

"Well sooner or later those old fools are going to find me Kakashi." Jiraiya laughed loudly, breaking the monotony of the steady rain around them. "Sooner or later they're going to ask me to become Hokage because I'm in the vicinity."

"And your plan is…."

"I think it's high time someone found Tsunade, wouldn't you say?" Jiraiya's eyes took on a particular gleam in them. He was practically giddy about his whole grand scheme of his and he wanted to see how Kakashi took it all. "And they'll want to send some 'help' along."

"Which you would refuse." Kakashi sighed again and rubbed at his nose to head off the headache. "They'd only get in the way, correct?"

"Good, you're catching on."

"But if you request for someone to come with you, they'll accept the idea hoping it will tether you to the village."

"You're just as smart as your father." Jiraiya clamped him proudly on the shoulder this time. "Only wish he was here to help me plot. He'd have fun with this little game."

"So you want to take Naruto." Kakashi ignored the prod and continued on with the logical progression of Jiraiya's plan.

"Seems like the logical choice. Akatsuki could have people watching this place hoping for a slip in the defenses and that nice big hole over there," Jiraiya pointed out incredulously. "Would be a pretty big slip in the defenses I think."

Kakashi looked at the wall as well. The attack did signal a pretty good opportunity for anyone who would want to get in and get out without being noticed or bothered. Still there was a snag, a bothersome 'what if'.

"There's no guarantee Tsunade would accept such a position. She's been gone longer than you or Orochimaru and for far different reasons." Kakashi pointed out the 'flaw' to Jiraiya. "If you can even find her, what would you do if she refused?"

"Ah, see, that's where you dropped the ball." Jiraiya sighed and shook his head. "There's another good reason to take that little squirt along, now isn't there? If he can get a workaholic like you to quit ANBU and to become this protective I'm sure he could do wonders to a woman who has lost all ties to this place. Hell, if his hair was two shades darker of brown, he'd look just like Tsunade's little brother."

"That's cruel Jiraiya." Kakashi muttered but agreed slightly with the older man's line of thinking. He should have been able to see the parallel reason for taking Naruto along. "To face her with such a thing…"

"Well sometimes the harshest things are best, wouldn't you agree?" Jiraiya's look softened a bit and he was silent for a moment contemplating something. He finally closed his eyes and shook his head before turning on Kakashi again. "So, I'll ask it again, how hard is it going to be to get close to him?"

Kakashi sighed and rubbed at his neck. "Pretty hard, but if you want your best shot at trying to convince him, best bet would be Ichiraku's. Sooner or later he's going to go there to be with Ayame and the owner. Usually if he's this upset that's where he'll head if not for Sensei's face in the mountain."

"That brings up another interesting question; now that you mention it." Jiraiya looked up to the Hokage faces. "Does he know?"

"Does he know about what? About Sensei?" Kakashi balked. Jiraiya was not serious about that was he? That had been the key part of hiding Naruto all this time, the fact that no one seemed to realize just who he was. "No, he doesn't. The Third forbid anyone to talk about that along with the fox."

"The Third did a lot of things." Jiraiya muttered darkly. "I'm surprised he's not broached the subject or that you've never told him."

"It's not my place."

"Humph. I say it's exactly your place but that's irrelevant at this point anyway." Jiraiya began walking, pulling out a book from a back pocket and tossing it Kakashi's way. The new cover glistened slightly in the rain before Kakashi quickly tucked it under an arm to protect it from the weather. "Guess I'll see you around kid."

Kakashi watched him go, glancing at the red cover of the book in hand. "_New one…. Wonder what it's about… Wonder how he's going to get back in his good graces."_

The rain began to lessen slightly. He glanced up at the breaking clouds above him. Perhaps it was finally time to leave, by now the funeral would be finishing up, and perhaps he could catch his Genin before they parted ways. They could take the day to themselves, little else would be happening today after the funeral. It was a time to recoup and work out their game plan. It was also as Jiraiya said; the elders would be considering their options for Hokage.

"_Naruto is not going to be happy with any of this. As far as I can tell he's done with Jiraiya…but for him to have any kind of chance, if what Jiraiya says is true, he's better off for the moment with him." _

He came strolling up to the point in the roads that he believed the three would be coming from and just leaned up against the wall with his new treasure. Sure enough people began to filter through the crossroads and soon he caught sight of Genin, but the number of them was staggering.

Naruto almost seemed to lead this pack of kids as they departed from the other ninja taking their leave and going back to their posts. Sakura walked just up beside Naruto, her arm wrapped around his as she still sniffed and wiped at her eyes. Sasuke was to his other side, his hands in his pockets and glaring at the sidewalk. Shikamaru and Choji were in the middle, both boys centered entirely on Naruto while Ino was found focusing all her attention on Sasuke. She was up beside the Uchiha, hoping to take Sakura's attention on Naruto to her advantage.

The biggest shock came with the addition of Shino, Kiba, and Hinata…well maybe not with Hinata. The shy Hyuuga girl had seemed rather infatuated with Naruto whenever he saw her. The even larger shock was Neji and Tenten. Lee was more than likely being escorted back to the hospital by Gai but it did not explain the presence of these two. They had graduated before any of the Rookie Nine he was more familiar with. Neji had just lost to the year's underdog, Naruto of all people, but he seemed perfectly okay with tailing him and he seemed to just fit with this odd mix. Tenten appeared to only be along for the ride.

Kakashi began to smile to himself, allowing the rather large group to pass him by. Jiraiya had a very good point when he said that there was another reason to take Naruto along to convince Tsunade to return to Konoha. Right in front of him was the proof of that. Naruto had a following in his rookie group and now outside of it. Even though the blonde more often than not submitted to Sasuke's leadership on missions; he seemed to be firmly in the lead now, even if a few of the pack did not realize it yet.

"_And I don't mean right now, Nii-san. I know it's gonna take forever…" _Kakashi grinned to himself when the memory of Naruto defending himself and his dream a few months ago came to mind.

"_Doesn't look like it'd take that long at all…" _

_

* * *

  
_

The next couple of days were relatively blurs. Naruto had decided that was probably for the best. The destruction wrought by the invading ninja had been pretty extensive and Sakura, Sasuke, and he had found themselves being used from everything from sentry duty to hauling lumber or cleaning up streets and buildings.

It was nice to have the steady work and even though they did chafe a little under all the D-Ranks, most of them could figure that EVERYONE was taking these types of missions in order to get Konoha back on its feet. Today, however, when they met up at the bridge Kakashi was not immediately there. Come to think of it Kakashi had not been at home when he woken either.

Ririshii had only reported he had left early and with little warning and Naruto wondered if perhaps he had finally been called up for one of those S-Classes he had been waiting on.

"Great, he was doing so well on being on time." Sakura moaned and leaned against the railing of the bridge.

"Shouldn't be surprised…" Sasuke was muttering and crossing his arms. "Wonder if we can just go get one of these lame things by ourselves…"

"Eh, he'll show up, otherwise he would have left a message or something." Naruto frowned as well, looking up to the high red arch over the bridge. He was hoping he was not too specific because it was true. If Kakashi felt he would be gone for longer than a day or two he would have left some kind of indication as such.

Another hour drug on and Naruto found himself laying down in the shade of a nearby tree, using Ririshii as a prop. He had to admit he had not been sleeping all that well since _that_ day. He was just a jumble of nerves, worry, and grief that just did not seem to wane any. First and foremost he was worried. Gaara had shown him exactly what could go wrong toying with the fox's chakra like he had been. Secondly he was waiting for Sasuke to finally wake back up and start being a jerk. Surely the Uchiha had seen what he had done. SURELY Sasuke was able to realize what it was he had transformed Gamabunta into when he was faced with no other choice.

"_Two demons…that's what we were for a moment…" _

Then there was the lancing grief. For short periods of time he would forget and think about going to the Third and complaining about the missions, but then it would spear him right in the chest and he would remember all over again finding out the outcome of the invasion. It was like a kunai being forced through his chest after being super heated and each time it seemed to dig just a little deeper.

"Hey dobe."

Naruto blinked after a moment up at the tree leaves in front of him. He glanced around to find Sasuke and found the dark-haired boy standing over him slightly. "Yeah?"

Naruto blinked up at the sky again, noting the time and then the worry intensified. He had not said so to Kakashi but every time the older man spoke of others being sent out on the S-Classes and on cleanup around the country, Naruto was relieved. He did not want Kakashi to go. Who was to say Orochimaru was not somewhere in the shadows waiting until he did? He did not want to lose Kakashi too.

"I gotta ask you something."

"Uh, okay." Naruto sat up and Riri also came up a little to be eye to eye with both boys. Sasuke was sitting down harshly, a frown upon his face as he glared out over the small river of water this particular bridge covered. Off by the bridge, kicking her feet over the side was Sakura, surprisingly staying out of the conversation. "What's up?"

"Why have you been putting on this front all this time?" Sasuke finally asked, his voice losing some of that bite it once held and Sasuke glared over at him inquisitively. "Why play an idiot?"

"_Here it comes…" _Naruto frowned and looked between his crossed legs to the grass beneath him.

"Besides having to compete with you?" he tried joking but it only earned him a scowl. "Look Sasuke it's complicated…"

"Well then let me ask it this way, you loser. Why'd you and that toad turn into a large nine-tailed fox?" Sasuke's tone was back but he did not seem to mean any of the words harshly. Naruto glanced over at him worriedly and only saw Sasuke watching closely.

"So Sakura told you?"

"Sakura knows?" Sasuke asked back a little surprised and glanced over to the same girl in question. "Never mind, look is it the reason people look at you like you're evil? It cannot possibly be because of those lame pranks you pull…"

"Hey those were well thought out and funny!" Naruto barked back suddenly, ready to defend his favorite hobby. "And there are some pranks people don't even know about!"

"You're dodging the question, dobe."

Naruto deflated and reached out for Riri, who was quick to inch closer to Naruto. "Sasuke, it's…"

"You can tell Sakura but not me?"

"No, she figured it out on her own because of that Snake bastard basically putting it on display after he gave you that mark." Naruto dodged his gaze and looked to Ririshii for guidance. Riri's chocolate brown eyes held an encouraging look and Naruto could hazard that the shepherd wanted him to tell Sasuke. He wanted Naruto to stop pretending as much as Kakashi and the others did. "I didn't know about it myself until graduation but…but apparently the Fourth Hokage sealed the Nine-tailed fox in me as a baby…"

"Like that Sand Ninja…" Sasuke was muttering almost to himself then suddenly his head jerked up to Naruto quickly. "No not like him but similar…"

"Yeah, I'm a freak, you can say it." Naruto flinched when Sasuke's hand whapped him harshly upside of his head. "What the hell! "

"You're such a loser Naruto." Sasuke was standing again. "Wasn't too hard now was it? Come on, let's at least make this day worth something. Swear Kakashi's doing this on purpose."

And that was the end of it. Sasuke stood and grinned wickedly and pointed over to the training grounds they favored. Naruto looked to Riri and the two shared a grin before shooting up and agreeing with Sasuke's assessment. He could use the exercise and the distraction.

"Hey, Sasuke…"

"Hmm?"

"What'd you guys do while you were gone? I mean what kind of training was it." Naruto asked during a slow exchange of blows. They had to warm up a little before they really went all out at one another and Sasuke grunted and frowned.

"It was a lot of him beating the crap out of me until I got fast enough to dodge him." Sasuke smirked and ducked under one of Naruto's own blows and came up behind him. Sasuke was happy to find that Naruto turned just as quickly and blocked his counterattack. "You know what elemental manipulation is?"

"Yeah I've got an idea…" Naruto hung out there tentatively and saw Sasuke actually smile. Sasuke was happy he told him the truth; he was not angry or disbelieving.

"Yeah well, it's ten times harder than it looks." Sasuke hit the dirt and rolled away while Naruto aimed his heel into his stomach. The Uchiha got away fast enough to form hand seals for a Fireball but Naruto had already been moving and without thinking about it pulled out a small piece of paper to see if it would work or not.

The paper already had the seals drawn on it he just had not sealed anything in the parchment yet. As the fireball came forward, half aimed and half not, he unwound the paper and put his hand to the back of the drawing and applied his chakra. Surprisingly the fire did just as his water did for his plants and was sucked into the paper. It sizzled and seemed to burn in the center circle before Naruto grinned at it and let it wind back shut.

"See it's shit like that, that pisses us off." Sasuke grinned some more. "When'd you learn how to pull that off?"

"Eh, you weren't the only one doing stupid junk during that month. I was dumb enough to think I could beat Neji with sealing jutsu."

"You are an idiot."

"Yeah rather and idiot than a show off."

Sasuke punched out and Naruto just moved enough to get out of the way. Riri finally was tired of sitting on the sidelines and launched himself at Sasuke's ankles which forced Sasuke to leap over Naruto's head. As he came down Naruto tired to aim his own punch at Sasuke's head and was met with the same dodge but Riri was coming again and before long it was just like a dance.

"Hey, Sasuke…I think I know why you had so much trouble with Chidori." Naruto teased as they took a momentarily break, panting and smiling at one another. "I do remember one thing about that elemental crap. Isn't your family Fire element?"

"Yeah?"

"Well isn't Chidori Lightning?"

Sasuke gaped then began to laugh. "Figures, now I'm gonna have to kick your ass to keep you from telling anyone about that."

"Like you could." Naruto proudly readied himself and placed one hand atop Ririshii's. "Let's see what else you learned from Kakashi-sensei."

They met with fists this time and both grinned. The rivalry which had been dead because of all the goings on was back and they both seemed to need this physical activity. To be idle was maddening. Apparently Kakashi agreed with them on this and without warning the sound of a bell reached their ears.

Unlike before, when they all misunderstood the concept being presented to them, him, Sasuke and Ririshii shot off from each other without warning. Naruto did a quick check on the bridge and found Sakura had displaced herself as well and was now probably working her way towards the others.

Ririshii was on the ground, looping through the brush and surrounding cover, trying to sniff out Kakashi. Sasuke was in the trees, giving himself enough high ground and a safe sentry post to look. Naruto grinned. He and Sasuke did not even have to talk to figure out the game plan. Naruto and Riri were going to flush out Kakashi, where Sasuke could pin the older man; either with his own jutsu or by taijutsu.

"So that's what he was doing."

Naruto glanced over to his right and found Sakura, wary teal eyes looking around for their target. He grinned. She was no longer seeking out only Sasuke and had come forward to the closest teammate to her last known position.

"But I don't get it we've done this test already."

"I think he wants to see how far we've come." Naruto replied, glancing down at Riri who had come to the base of their tree. It was too many of them in one place and for a second he frowned. "Or he thinks we need a reminder, we have kind of been split up for a month."

"Ohhh.."

Suddenly Naruto had an idea. "Sakura… you said Kakashi-sensei gave you books on Genjutsu?"

"Yeah?"

"Wanna play a game with Kakashi-sensei?"

"Huh?"

"I'm horrible at Genjutsu, always hated that stuff." Naruto made a motion with his hand and Ririshii was off. The shepherd would sniff out Kakashi, hopefully, without the Jounin taking notice of him. "But there's one thing it's got in common with my pranks. The person it's intended for, has to believe what they're seeing right? They have to be expecting to see something like that already to get caught in it. They have to believe it's possible."

Sakura nodded mutely but then the light bulb clicked on for her. "I don't know if I'm able to make one that real yet but sure, I'm game."

"Sweet, here's what we do then."

For Kakashi seeing them take this little exercise so seriously this time around was a relief. He had been taking his time, trying to decide to hop back into the missions they obviously would be stuck with or training. Obviously they wanted to help but he slowly had been seeing the hackles rise on both Naruto and Sasuke.

With good reason, both had more than proved themselves during the Chuunin exams. But that decision had been left until a new Hokage was named. So instead he decided to see what they would do if presented with the bell test again. They could do as they did before, scatter and become individuals, fight with each other over what to do, or as they were doing: separate but one entity.

And for the most part he had trouble pinpointing their locations. Sasuke was invisible; it was another thing the kid picked up during their month. Apparently Sasuke got sick of being the one who was snuck up on and took it upon himself to improve that. Naruto, if he did not want to be found would not be found. Sakura was at least detectible but he had a momentary doubt in that assessment; he had given her tips in Genjutsu after all.

Ririshii was the saving grace, however. He knew the dog was getting close to _his_ position and had to plan accordingly because the dog could lead all three right to him. Riri was getting good at his tracking of one solitary object and Pakkun had been impressed with the shepherd last they met. As he moved, trying to get ahead of the shepherd to make it doubt its nose, he caught sight of the ears going erect and behind. Riri's head turned in one particular direction and then seemed to deflate after listening to whatever he heard.

"Just like Kakashi…" he muttered as he began to retreat from his pursuit of Kakashi. "He's always late and they're always fighting."

"_Sasuke and Naruto." _Kakashi mentally sighed and began to shadow Riri through the grounds. They came to the river and found both Sasuke and Naruto, continuing their earlier spar, but this time it seemed bitterer. As if they both meant it now. He took up a position, shielded by a tree trunk and watched as both boys seethed in each other's direction.

"You idiot! He's going to find us if we keep this up." Sasuke was protesting.

"Yeah well you're an idiot too to think you can just get it on your own."

"I have a better chance than either of you…we could do like we did the first time…"

"He's not going to have the book out. He learned not to do that." Naruto pushed off first, his feet pushing against water and coming at Sasuke head on. Sasuke was about to do the Uchiha fireball jutsu and Kakashi nearly stepped out to stop the battle, but stopped himself.

"_Where's Sakura in all of this? Why isn't she trying to stop them?" _Kakashi took a moment to take in the surrounding cover and found he no longer could just pinpoint Sakura either. "_And Riri's not trying too hard to stop them either… he merely led me to them… Well done Sakura, well done…"_

Kakashi grinned suddenly. This was much better than expected. Sakura was actively trying to trap him in a Genjutsu. It was realistic enough that it had held his attention momentarily but after thinking about it the fog began to clear and the fighters merely seemed to fade away. She knew he would almost believe seeing Naruto and Sasuke fighting as usual.

Before he could properly react a tree trunk was flying in his general direction. He leapt up only to find Naruto above him, leg stiff and aimed out for a kick. He reached up grabbed hold of the blonde's ankle and sent him flying away. Naruto recovered enough and stuck to a nearby tree, hands coming up to a familiar position….his clones…

Sasuke was taking his time, which meant he was either going to try to use Chidori or he was biding his time until Naruto maneuvered him into a place of Sasuke's choosing. Kunai came aiming at his head and he dodged and decided to break Naruto's concentration before he had the chance to call out his trump card.

Naruto blocked his punch, barely, and grinned up at his sensei. "Guess I shoulda known you wouldn't fall for it for long."

Kakashi grinned. So Naruto had encouraged Sakura and given her the premise to use. Always the prankster. "No, but a good effort nonetheless."

Sakura was coming from behind and he took his free hand to block her. She was learning to be useful now he just had to get her speed and her strength up to par. It was not bad to be specialized but she was going to need a backup in case the Genjutsu failed, as it had in this instance.

That was what Sasuke had been waiting for and the dark-haired youth came out using Chidori. Kakashi smirked and just let Sakura and Naruto go, leaping up for the trees and concealing himself again. At this rate he might have to start using his Sharingan; just to avoid Sasuke…

When it was clear he had slipped them Sasuke let the jutsu fade and the three glanced at one another with determined gazes and shot off again to the concealment of the training grounds. This was better than he expected. They probably would not attain Chuunin rank but they defiantly learned from their experience.

It continued for a few hours, this game of cat and mouse between them. Finally though he smirked and came out into the open, earning a perked ear from outside of a bush from Riri. "Alright you three, I think that's enough don't you?"

"Aw but we haven't caught you yet!" Naruto protested and hung upside down from a nearby limb. "We almost have it."

"Oh really?" Kakashi crossed his arms and shook his head. "Perhaps that's what you think."

"True, he's not ever really used his eye yet." Sasuke came slinking out of the shadows and sighed up at Naruto. "He's just playing with us."

Sakura admitted defeat as well, coming out at the back. Kakashi took note of their formation, keeping him neatly in the middle of them all. A good plan but he still had a few years on them.

"That was a good effort you three. I'm impressed." Kakashi smiled and rubbed at his spikes. "What do you say to a late lunch?"

"Finally!" Naruto came down with Riri hot on his heels and nodded enthusiastically about the thought of food. "Let's hit up…"

"No, not ramen." He ruffled the hair in front of him and chuckled when Naruto seemed to pout a little. "Honestly you cannot live off of that."

"Trust me I could." Naruto huffed as he took up his usual place just to the right and behind Kakashi.

"Maybe the dango place? They have good stuff too." Sakura offered up in peace. She knew for a fact that Naruto had a sweet tooth from her little present and subsequent little treats she brought for all of them and Riri.

"Oh hey! Another reason to go to Ichiraku's!" Naruto suddenly perked up; sure he had a good reason now. "None of those other places let Riri come in…"

"Because he's a dog…"

"Hey!" Riri growled at Sasuke who only smirked knowingly at the shepherd. That only seemed to prod Ririshii and the dog lowered his ears and bared his teeth playfully. "Maybe they won't let you in either…your hair gets any shaggier and you'll be a dog too."

"Wha…"

Naruto burst out laughing and even Sakura seemed to have a little smirk on her lips as Sasuke glared at Riri, who was now walking puffed up proudly at his jab. Honestly, Kakashi was not sure how anyone could see Riri as a 'dog' anymore. He certainly had stopped thinking that a while back, Riri was just another member of the team and he had a four man cell to teach, not a three. Still he could not miss out on this fun the three were having.

"Ah, that's what I've been forgetting, that haircut I owe you." Kakashi murmured along with the game and Sasuke's dark eyes shot his way, the frown deepening.

"Screw you guys." Sasuke huffed and took the lead away from Kakashi and stuck his hands in his pockets as he usually did when he was put off. It was almost half-hearted though. His hands were in his pockets but his shoulders were not hunched.

"Well maybe Naruto could do it." Sakura was suddenly grinning and taking a glance to the blonde, who was now blinking confused. "He helped me even mine out after I cut it off in the Forest of Death…"

This time it was Sasuke laughing quietly and Naruto gaping at Sakura like she was out of her mind. Sakura merely took her spot proudly beside Ririshii who nodded his head happily in agreement with his new partner in crime. Kakashi snorted, bit his tongue, and smiled genuinely. They had become a team either despite or because of the whole ordeal with Orochimaru.

There was a small spark of pride as well. This was _his_ team.

They continued on that way, the three talking and taking little jabs at one another. Kakashi merely slipped out his book, the new one from Jiraiya and followed along in the midst. Sooner or later the three would come to an agreement about where to go to eat and he would gladly abide by that decision. He felt he owed them all a little something after all.

"Hey, that's a new one." Naruto pointed out before realizing he should not have said something so familiar with him and cringed slightly.

"Yeah, the cover's red, not orange." Sasuke saved him though and was blinking back at the same book.

"Seriously Sensei, why do you read those things?"

"_Oh, so they've decided to turn a united front on me now." _Kakashi pretended to not really care and turned a page. "You'll understand when you're a little older."

"Pervert." They all seemed to mutter at the same time. They were so cute when they did that….damn kids…

He stopped suddenly though and the three stopped with him. He kept his gaze over the top of his book to the pair standing just ahead of them on this silent roadway back into the business district of Konoha. Kakashi snarled a bit, getting a feel for the two, dressed in odd black cloaks with red clouds adorning them and straw hats obscuring their faces. These were not some vagabonds, these were ninja.

His stance must have cued the team because they all silenced immediately and seemed to inch in closer to him.

For a moment they all just stood there, the pair stopping just a few feet from where they had come to a stop. The wind every so often would blow across the canal they were walking beside and it would ring the bell hanging off of each person's hat. Each time it did he would see the slight twitch in Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto's limbs. They might assume that this was some extension of what they were doing before but this had not been in Kakashi's plans. These two, whoever they were, seemed very interested in blocking their path.

"I see." The shorter of the two began to speak slowly, his hand coming up under the cloak to finger the top edge of the concealing collar. "Hatake Kakashi."

Sakura and Naruto looked up to him instantly. Sasuke was like Kakashi, however, and began to stare intently at the hat obscuring his view. They both knew that voice rather well.

"Oh friends of yours, Itachi?" The taller man began to chuckle and reached up to remove his hat. The name stung Sasuke and the Uchiha boy flinched towards his kunai holster. Kakashi held the same wariness as the hat fell to the ground. There stood a man who had blue skin and beady white eyes. "Perhaps I should introduce myself."

"Hoshigaki Kisame." Kakashi saved him the trouble of introducing himself, he was well aware of who the man was. His only hope was to put the focus back on himself, and to make it look like the two were there for him. "The scourge of the Hidden Mist."

"He knows my name." Kisame grinned, his hand reaching up to the large wrapped sword on his back. "I'm honored."

While the two of them had a staring contest Itachi reached up and removed his hat as well. The action provoked Sasuke momentarily but something held him back. Still Sasuke was grinding his teeth harshly and the longer this drug out the more pissed off he looked.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised though." Kisame drew all of their attention again. "I heard you and those brats had it out with Zabuza and his little kept pet a while back."

"That's right…" Kakashi reached for his own kunai and put out his hand to stop Naruto from moving forward. "We did. I find it hard to believe you're here to make us answer for that."

"Heh." Kisame merely snorted and Itachi seemed to straighten.

It was a tossup to what it was the pair was after but Jiraiya's tale from a few days ago certainly led him to a more likely scenario. It was unlikely that Kisame came to rectify Zabuza's mistake. Both men were missing Nin from their village and both men were rumored to be at odds. But Jiraiya had told him Itachi was a part of the organization that was out looking for bijou. Both men were dressed alike, something an organization would ask of its members.

Kakashi glanced behind him only for a moment, seeing Naruto and Ririshii ready to fight if it came to that.

"So out with it." He decided to stop the silence. "What are two rogue ninja of your caliber doing in this village?"

"We've come to collect something." Itachi's calm, monotone voice responded his hand finally popping open the high collar of his cloak and they could finally see the full of his face. It certainly was Itachi; it was the same face, the same eyes, the same almost dead look to him. "We know that it is in this village."

"What's this thing you're after?" Kakashi played along, knowing full well what it was and was slowly putting himself between the blonde and the two.

"Aren't we pushy?" Kisame was chuckling. He swung out the wrapped sword and pointed it at them with only one hand. Like any self-respected Swordsman of the Mist, Kisame was well equipped to handle the weapon and made it a deadly opponent to keep an eye on. His beady white eyes suddenly focused in on Sasuke, still gnashing on his teeth and wringing his hand around his kunai. "Well would you look at that, someone else with those crazy eyes of yours. Who's the kid Itachi?"

Kakashi cursed and looked to Sasuke; sure enough the Sharingan was present and boring into Itachi hard enough to cause damage if it had been a physical force. He reached up and lifted his headband and opened his other eye as well; this was going to be a tricky spot to get out of.

"That would be my little brother." Itachi responded to his partner, not once looking to Sasuke. "Sasuke."

That was enough to prod Sasuke and he snarled loudly, rushing forward towards Itachi. "You bastard!!"

Kakashi cursed as well and darted forward, hopefully with enough time to cut Sasuke off from his path. Instead he found Kisame swinging his sword outward and was forced to flip up and back away from it to avoid the cutting blade. It had come unwrapped in that swing and he could see where the sword got its name; it appeared to be nothing more than a mass of scales and to be hit with something like that would not just cut, it would dice.

Sasuke got close enough to Itachi by that point but was easily deflected into a nearby tree, Itachi shoving his brother harshly but with little more than a glance with those deadly eyes.

"_This is a true heir to the Sharingan." _Kakashi landed in a crouch in front of Sasuke, sending a clone to stand in front of Sakura and Naruto. "_I have to be on my toes, and I'll be divided because Sasuke will not let this go and their true objective…" _

"Get out of my way." Sasuke was snarling and shoving himself up. "I'm going to make you pay for what you did!"

Kakashi reached out and snagged Sasuke's shirt but the teen merely began pulling against his hold. "Calm down…"

"Get lost!" Sasuke snarled back. "Stay out of this!"

"Sasuke stop it!" Sakura was calling out, wringing her hands in front of her.

"That's it isn't it?" Sasuke began raving like a mad man. He reached back and sliced at his shirt with his own kunai and got loose. He was calling up a Chidori much faster than he had been able to in the past few days and was solely focused on Itachi who now seemed a bit more interested in his brother. "You've come back to finish it haven't you!!! I won't let you; you'll pay for what you did to Mother and Father."

Itachi never flinched and once Sasuke was in range he reached out and snagged the boy by his wrist. He was effectively able to disable the jutsu and held Sasuke in an iron grip. Kakashi snarled, stood, but again found himself cut off by Kisame and his sword.

"Something tells me this is a family matter." The blue man smirked happily. "Let's let them handle it."

Itachi responded by kicking Sasuke back, and followed up by pinning the boy up by his throat against a tree. "Foolish little brother."

Sasuke's eyes popped open, struggling to breathe and get free but still completely enraged.

"You're hate is not strong enough." Itachi purred and tightened his grip slightly. "I have little interest in you; you are hardly worth my time. We are here for the Legacy of the Fourth Hokage."

And there it was out in the open. Kakashi growled and tried to formulate a way to get Sasuke away from Itachi and keep himself between the two rogues and Naruto. The admission had Sasuke wide-eyed and disbelieving but somewhat incensed as well. Sakura gasped nearby but then did something shocking, she positioned herself between Naruto and the rogues. Naruto himself seemed stunned into shock.

"_Sakura knows?" _Kakashi momentarily pondered then put his attention back where it needed to be. Itachi got closer and closer to Sasuke, his Sharingan seeming to morph into something new. Kakashi cursed and decided he had enough with Kisame and went forward. The sharkskin flew up; he dodged, but not before getting a taste of what the thing could do. It almost was as the sword was reaching upwards and outwards to get a taste of him.

He decided to try Sasuke's own idea, going for the jutsu he created instead of copied. Sasuke had begun to struggle harder then began to cry out as if he was in pain but as far as Kakashi could tell Itachi had not yet attacked him. As he closed in on his target Itachi finally let go of Sasuke and the boy merely slumped to the ground, coming to a sit at the base of the tree Itachi had pinned him up against. He was slightly slumped over but his eyes were still open.

He was, however, silent.

"Sasuke!!" Sakura cried out and almost made a move to go to Sasuke but she stopped herself. This apparently was enough to wake Naruto back up and he began to move but Ririshii stopped him, putting his massive weight behind a shove and Naruto glared at the shepherd.

Meanwhile Kakashi saw Itachi's movements and how the dark-haired man was meaning to counter and adjusted for it, only to be met with a clone and had to duck and kick upwards to get away from the man now behind him.

Itachi watched him leap back and again took up a passive stance ahead of Kakashi. Kakashi snarled and took a quick look to Sasuke and to Naruto, then to Kisame, who seemed far more interested in his and Itachi's little spat.

"You nearly anticipated my movements." Itachi seemed interested now. "You have truly honed that gift into a weapon."

"Heh, mind if I play with the kiddies while you toy with him?" Kisame was turning now to Naruto and Sakura. "It would be a shame to have him run off when he's right here…perhaps I'll cut off his legs."

The clone he had earlier put ahead of the two went to lash out at Kisame. While Kakashi straightened. "Run, both of you get out of here while you still can."

"Not without Sasuke." Naruto snarled and was reaching finally for a kunai and pushing Riri out of the way. "Not without you."

Kisame finally dispatched the clone, a splash of water hitting the cement. At first the shark-like man blinked at it then grinned back momentarily at him. "I suppose our village should be honored that you have copied that so well. I guess you did earn that name; the Copy Ninja."

The two went back at it for a short while. It was amazing how the Swordsmen of the Mist were able to wield such large and bulky swords with the speed and accuracy that they did and Kisame was just a step above Zabuza in this respect. It was an effort alone to keep himself away from the blade and the sharp scales of the blade.

"Kisame." Itachi's bark broke their little dance and allowed him to land in front of Naruto and Sakura again. He took another glance in Sasuke's direction. By the look of his eyes and the odd silence that had fallen over him Kakashi could assume Itachi had used a Genjutsu on Sasuke to keep him out of the picture. But for a Genjutsu to work on another Sharingan user… "Your way is inefficient. It will draw other Shinobi."

Kakashi could see the proof of another one of Jiraiya's implications. He had told him that Orochimaru could have joined Akatsuki purely to go after Itachi and failed. That implied Itachi was stronger than Orochimaru; a Sannin. His proof to that fact was the way Kisame, a feared and powerful man himself, merely raised his sword back to his shoulder and relented to Itachi's will.

"My way is more efficient."

Kakashi was too late in realizing the threat and cursed himself as the world went red and colors went to black and white. A full moon was overhead and he found himself crucified on a large wooden plank. Itachi's form was ahead of him, watching him closely, before approaching him with a long katana. "_I got caught in his Genjutsu…I was careless…" _

"You will find it hard to break through this illusion. Only a true heir would have a chance and only one with the Mangekyou Sharingan could."

About this time Itachi reached out and the tip of the sword entered just below his rib cage. He winced and bit down hard on his tongue, kept repeating to himself that it was not real and tried his hardest to break the Genjutsu the other ways he knew how.

Outside the battle seemed to hit a standstill. Naruto and Sakura watched as Kakashi went stiff and stared ahead blankly, just like Sasuke was doing nearby.

"Heh, now that he's out of the way, maybe we can have a little fun." The blue-skinned Mist Ninja chuckled and made a move forward. Sakura took a hesitant step backwards, the fear evident in her features. Ririshii moved in front of Kakashi and began snarling but the way the man merely smirked and reached up for his sword, the dog was no threat to him.

Naruto felt trapped among those options as well. They were outmatched here, clearly. Whoever these two were they were after him and he had a damn good idea why they were it just did not make sense. He inched closer to Sakura, to keep her from bolting but he was not sure what he could do…

"_Wait Sasuke's brother was afraid of attracting attention. He was afraid of more people getting involved." _Naruto began to scout around them, noting that they were kind of on a deserted side of town and it was hard to really 'draw' attention this far out without making it into a full scale battle, which would be hard because of Sasuke's brother and his partner.

And after several moments of complete confusion and brain-racking he did the only thing he could think of. He bit into his thumb and ducked behind Sakura. "Sakura, close your eyes he might try to do that Genjutsu trick again. Riri you try to get Sasuke if they get away from him."

"Naruto what…" Sakura glanced over her shoulder at him before complying with his request. He shut his eyes too and began forming the hand seals. He pushed back and slammed his palm to the ground all the while praying it was Gamaken that responded this time. He needed a toad big enough to draw attention but not Gamabunta who would flatten the whole area.

He was rewarded with the familiar dark red toad with black face markings.

"Little Master." Gamaken turned and Naruto opened his eyes briefly to smile at the toad who believed he was clumsy. "You have a need of me?"

"Yeah I'm sorry to bother you Gamaken, but see those two over there?" Naruto pointed out the two odd ninja in front of them. "They've got our teammates in Genjutsu and we're kinda out classed here."

"Hmmm, well I can do what I can Little Master." Gamaken reached behind him and pulled out the dinner plate-shaped shield on his back and focused in on his opponents. "But I am rather clumsy."

"That's okay." Naruto scrambled up atop the frog's head and sat himself. Perhaps if he was attached to the frog he could make clones of both himself and the toad and have a bluff but he doubted it. At any rate he could direct Gamaken if it came to it. "I'm sure you'll do fine."

There was nothing else said and Gamaken shoved off to attack the two shorter ninja. Kisame darted in front of Itachi and swung his sword wide at the large toad. Gamaken blocked the attack with the three-pronged pole he was carrying and swung around at Kisame's head with the sliver edge of his shield. Kisame ducked down, withdrew his blade through the prongs and jumped to the side, taking a swiping motion at the toad's legs.

Gamaken danced backwards, leaping and toeing around the cement pathway around the canal. Kisame came at them this time, his sword drawn over head and leaping up into the air to make a play at Naruto, atop Gamaken's head but the toad threw up both his shield and polearm and deflected Kisame into the water.

"_Shit that might have been a bad idea, he's from Mist, and he loves water." _Naruto cringed but then recovered. What had Kisame done before? Instead of giving him time to stay in his element of choice he could draw him back out again to protect Itachi. Itachi had not moved at all yet and it led Naruto to believe that he was still directing and controlling the Genjutsu that had Kakashi and Sasuke trapped and he was now occupied with them both.

If anything the attack would either draw out Kisame or put him on the defensive or it would provoke Itachi and he would have to let Kakashi and Sasuke go. "Gamaken, go for that one, the one controlling the Genjutsu."

"Certainly." Gamaken swung around with the polearm and pushed towards Itachi. Just as he did a water attack came flying from the nearby canal and the toad was forced to turn his shield in that direction to try and block the onslaught. The gambit was not a total loss though as Itachi was now moving back away from Gamaken and himself and glaring up at the boy with dark black eyes. "I missed…"

"Sensei!"

Sakura's shot broke Naruto's concentration and he swung around to look. Kakashi had hit his knees and was panting heavily. Sakura had opened her eyes again and was kneeling beside him. Ririshii did not have an opening yet to get to Sasuke so he too was sniffing inquisitively at Kakashi's head.

"Interesting… you're not as hopeless as people would lead us to believe." Itachi was muttering and Kisame reappeared above the water's surface, glancing over at Kakashi and Sakura.

"Naruto, Sakura…" Kakashi finally ground out. It almost sounded like he was grinding his teeth and was struggling to say their names. "Get Sasuke. Get out of here." Finally a gray eye glanced up to Naruto and Naruto could see just how hurt Kakashi was by whatever it was Itachi had done. "NOW."

Sakura struggled with the idea as did Naruto. They did not want to leave him.

"Ha, after all that his spirit's still intact." Kisame was chuckling nearby and Naruto turned back to him to snarl. "And you're risking over using those eyes of yours."

"_They can overuse their eyes?" _Naruto perked up at that little tidbit of information. "_I thought only Kakashi overdid it because he wasn't an Uchiha." _

"It's of little consequence." Itachi replied and Naruto saw his hand move. Gamaken responded to his tensioning and leapt back to his original position, just in front of Kakashi, Sakura, and Riri.

Riri decided to join him atop Gamaken's head. Gamaken glanced up only momentarily to the shepherd then steadied himself for Itachi's attack.

"Shaking." Riri reported. "Can't stand."

"So that Genjutsu must've done more than screw with his head." Naruto frowned down at Kakashi one more time then did as Gamaken did.

"Maybe if we rush him I can dart off while Gamaken holds him to get Sasuke." Ririshii licked at Gamaken's head and the toad nodded. "He has been staying close to Sasuke."

Gamaken was off again this time Itachi merely blinked away and the toad's polearm sunk into the cemented ground beneath them. It did however, give Riri his chance and the dog was quick to start dragging Sasuke towards Kakashi and Sakura. Gamaken struggled to free his weapon for a minute while Itachi and Kisame rejoined one another.

"You're concern for your teammates is admirable but foolish." Itachi swept back his shaggy hair and for a second Naruto saw the eyes go red. "Kisame, quit playing with the frog and we'll be on our way."

"Heh, as you say." Kisame grinned and raised his sword again. "Sorry kid, end of playtime."

Before he could reach Naruto and Gamaken Kisame was knocked back harshly and there was a blur of green. Naruto slumped in relief and jumped off of Gamaken to help Riri with Sasuke. His idea had worked in one way; it had drawn attention to the battle and others were now coming to help.

"What the devil!" Kisame growled as he stood back up and glared at the intruder. Gai-sensei stood much like Lee did in front of Gamaken a grin upon his face. "Just who the hell are you?"

"I am the Handsome Green Beast of Konoha." Gai proclaimed and flashed on of his grins.

"What a joke." Kisame was snorting and moving forward to deal with Gai and Gamaken, who had finally retrieved his polearm and was standing guard behind Gai. "It'll be fun mopping the …."

"Kisame." Itachi was again halting his partner's actions. The blue-skinned Mist Ninja turned and frowned at the Uchiha elder. "We came here for a purpose, not a full scale battle. We'll retreat for now and restore my powers."

"Lucky bastards." Kisame snarled towards them as Itachi began fleeing down the waterways, towards the edge of town. He wrapped his sword back up and followed suit and just as quickly as they had been there they were gone.

"Gai-sensei!" Sakura was crying slightly in relief. "Thank god you're here!"

"Hmm." Gai glanced behind him to Naruto and Sasuke. Riri still had the boy's shirt collar in his mouth but he stopped pulling once Gai came into the picture. "It would seem I'm just in time."

"Yeah you are." Naruto finally sighed in relief too then smiled at Gamaken. He walked up to the toad, who lowered down to they could be eye to eye, and Naruto patted between his eyes. "Thank you Gamaken, that was excellent. You really did help!"

"I don't know how much help I was." Gamaken drawled on in his lazy tone, glancing behind him at the hole his polearm had made in the ground. "I am too clumsy. Will you be alright now?"

"Yeah, you can go home Gamaken. Thanks."

The toad puffed away in a large cloud of smoke and Naruto again looked to Kakashi, now on the ground with Sakura worriedly looking between him and Gai. "I don't know what happened…"

"It looks like Itachi used some Genjutsu, just what kind though, I don't know" Gai explained and walked over to Kakashi. He smiled big to reassure Sakura and reached down to pull Kakashi up until he had him leaning on his shoulders. "At any rate we should get them both to the hospital."

"Yeah." Naruto frowned back to Sasuke, still as limp and unresponsive as he had been after Itachi had done whatever it was he did. Both he and Kakashi were now out of commission and it was frightening. Gai had come though; he had come just in time like he said. All they had to do now was get a medic to get them both back on their feet.

The way Sasuke had erupted stuck in his head suddenly. As soon as Itachi had shown his face Sasuke had gone at him. It had seemed that some of that gloom and revenge had faded from Sasuke in the past months but in one instant it had come back full force.

"_You better not give in to that curse mark you loser." _Naruto thought sadly as he hefted Sasuke up as well, Riri helping to push the other boy up slightly with his head. "_You both better be okay." _

_

* * *

_

Several hours later found Naruto slumped in the busy hallways of the hospital. Behind him was a door that opened to Kakashi's room and down the hall he was sure was where they had stuck Sasuke. No one so far had known what it was done to them but any attempt to reverse it was met with the same result. They just slept on.

Sakura had left a while ago. She had taken up watching after Sasuke and had finally been chased off by one of the harried nurses. Naruto sat pushed up against the plain beige walls staring at the wooden floors, barely aware of much else around him. No one had yet chased him off and it was odd. Still he welcomed their ignorance of his presence and just sat there.

What had he been able to do other than make enough of a scene with Gamaken to attract attention? Nothing. He felt worthless to the point of tears but instead he just sat there with an empty feeling all around.

And Sasuke… he could not forget how quickly he had morphed from joking and talking with them to practically throwing himself into the maw of two S-Class criminals; a fact Naruto only knew by eavesdropping on the gossipers standing around the halls talking about the two new occupants of the floor.

"_Will he start talking about it again? Will he blame us for Itachi getting away?" _Naruto glanced down the hallway, the setting light filtering through someone's open door and creating a tiled look on the wooden floors. "_What if they don't ever wake up from this? What if…"_

"You know…"

Naruto started as someone sat beside him and an arm was coming around his shoulders. He sat up rigidly. He only relaxed when he realized it was Yoshi, about the only medic in this place he did not hate and the only one he really trusted to be honest with him.

She was Kakashi's friend at first but the few and far between times he caught colds or some stomach bug Kakashi would take him to her and soon he was familiar enough with the woman to like her and call her Yoshi, just like Kakashi did.

"You've been here an awfully long time." Yoshi was smiling softly at him and ruffling his hair lightly. Her dark brown eyes were still bright and she was smiling at him despite probably knowing why he was there. "I'm surprised you're not permanently affixed by now."

"Well what else can I do?" Naruto grunted and leaned back down to hug at his knees. "No one wants to let me see him and no one knows what's wrong with him."

"I would think you should go home, take a shower, read a book, EAT SOMETHING, anything to distract yourself for a while." Yoshi pushed at his shoulder playfully with her opposite hand. "Sitting here worrying does neither of you any good and I'm not looking forward to when someone finally trips on you."

"You were planning on it weren't you?" Naruto eyed her and Yoshi's face lit up. Yoshi was a nice woman but she had a mean streak in her. Kakashi told him once that all medics did, he did not know why, they just did.

"Well yes, but you just looked so sad I decided against it." Yoshi hugged with the arm around his shoulders and rested her head atop his. He froze at the odd gesture but warmed at the idea of it. "Honestly, Naruto, it's getting dark and from what I can tell he's not waking up anytime soon. That's the tricky thing about higher levels of Genjutsu, you don't know the triggers, the methods, or if a trap was laid in wait… I think a Yamanaka was coming to look, but they're more along the lines of mind reading and interrogation techniques, this doesn't seem like that type. You should grab that mongrel sitting outside, go find some dinner, and then go home. At least for tonight. I'm not saying don't come, but the saying is a watched pot never boils."

Naruto sighed and glared up at Yoshi. He could not actually see her face at the angle she was. He could see the strips of her long chocolate colored hair. He sighed again and pushed up to a sit. She moved with him, patted him on the shoulder and then stood. Once she was righted she brushed off the cream colored shirt most of them in the hospital wore and then smiled down at him again.

"I guess it doesn't hurt to go get something to eat." Naruto stretched a bit himself then stood. He wanted to follow her advice, he did feel a little hungry, but he felt guilty for doing so at the same time.

"Don't worry; I'll keep an eye out for him." Yoshi shoved him a little and then waved him off when he questioned it. "You're not the only one I've made that promise to so now I mean it doubly."

"Thanks Yoshi…" Naruto smiled a little at her and decided she would let him know if anything changed.

"Don't mention it." She replied as she reached to put her hair back up in a tightly held bun and back under the familiar coverings the other medics in the building wore. She was odd among the medics here; she was both a Medic-Nin, though she primarily worked in the hospital and never took missions, and she was a civilian doctor. She split her time between the two depending on need in either one and Naruto could guess she had been requested due to the recent invasion.

He slipped along silently through the hallways and finally out onto the street. Within seconds Ririshii was at his side and the shepherd looked up at him expectantly.

"Any change?"

"No."

Riri's ears dropped and he whined lightly as they walked along. It was getting close to dusk and the sun was setting as it always did. Naruto was not sure where most of the hours had gone after Gai had come to help them. One moment things were fine and things were going to be rebuilt and the next they were facing off with yet another pair of ninja that had infiltrated the village.

"He'll be okay…he's got to be." Riri was whimpering more, his tail ducking between his back legs as he spoke. Part was to assure Naruto but the other part was more to reassure himself.

"He's got to be." Naruto echoed and found his feet had brought him to the only place he wanted to be right then; Ichiraku's. He smiled sadly and lifted the flap to enter and sat at his favorite stool.

"Oh Naruto!" Ayame perked up as he entered and he smiled at her more genuinely. Riri came up behind him and sat between his stool and the neighboring stool. "Where have you been? We haven't seen you in a while."

"Sorry about that." Naruto grinned as he settled and let his hand scratch absently at Riri's head. "Kinda got busy. You guys alright? The store seems all in one piece…."

"Yeah we got lucky." Ayame chirped as she brought him a drink. "Guess you would be busy with all this stuff. The usual?"

"Please." Naruto heaved a great sigh and watched as the cook went about preparing the noodles. It was almost soothing to watch him. But something still felt off and by the time Riri started growling he was not surprised. _"This just isn't my week…" _

"So…" A familiar tone met his ears and he hunched his shoulders a bit and Riri growled more. "How many bowls of this stuff is it gonna take for you to talk to me again?"

Jiraiya was setting himself a few stools away, his large frame nearly dwarfing the stool. Ayame and Teuchi had stopped stirring momentarily. They returned to their business but Ayame seemed to place herself closer to Naruto and Teuchi seemed to keep one eye over his shoulder.

"Fair enough, I figured it'd take a few." Jiraiya was snorting. "Oh quit your growling you mutt, you're causing a scene."

"You have some nerve." Ririshii barked then laid his ears flat against his head. "To show your face again after what you did…"

"Hmm well I guess I figured since the brat decided to use _that _chakra of his own free will maybe he would be a little more open to discussing it." Ririshii lay down but every so often he would growl lowly and his eyes remained on Jiraiya fully. "By the look on your face I might have misjudged that slightly. I won't mince words Kid, I did what I did purely to force you to it. You can either hate me or try to see it for what it truly was."

"And what was it truly?" Naruto snarled as Ayame set the bowl carefully in front of him. "Curiosity or.."

"HA! That's exactly what Kakashi asked me. Speakin' of how'd you like those two fellas who stopped by today?" Jiraiya turned towards him and Naruto picked up a pair of sticks and began to try to enjoy his meal. Why had he shown up now? "Figure out what they were after?"

"Me."

"Correct. Maybe I should have just come out and told you Kid, but usually people don't take news like that at face value." Jiraiya smiled a little at him and Naruto relaxed some of the tension in his shoulders. "Would you have believed me if I had told you?"

"No."

"And how about that trick I showed you? Seemed to help you out against that Neji didn't it?"

"It might yes."

"So…all in all nothing horrible happened."

"Who's to say it won't though?" Naruto gulped down a batch of noodles and turned slightly on his stool. "Before you did that I wouldn't have even thought to use it."

"Or toads for that matter." Jiraiya was chuckling oddly enough. "I'm not saying use it all the time. But you have to admit had Kakashi not been there today or if they had been truly serious in capturing you, you'd be gone by now right?"

"Yes…."

"I'm saying it's a backup. You got guts kid, I'll give you that. Hell you're pretty damn smart when it comes to seals even if you don't realize it yet. But it takes you time and practice to learn it."

"So why are you here?" Naruto sighed and motioned for one more bowl. "Wanted to make sure I got the picture or what?"

"Got a mouth on you." Jiraiya moved one stool closer and ignored the threatening nip Riri tried at his feet. "No I am in need of a traveling companion."

"You must think I'm an idiot!!" Naruto was moving to stand when the man's hand reached out to stop him. He made a move to pull back and away but found he was too slow compared to the older man. "Let go…"

"I am going to find the next Hokage. We're in need of one and unless I go find this woman, they're going to make me Hokage, you understand that?"

"That doesn't explain what you want me to come along for."

"For starters, maybe I do want to make up that little incident to you. There's more things I can teach you than seals, kiddo. And you strike me as the type I would want to teach. Two: she's another of the Sannin; a top class Medic Nin. From what I hear your teammate and that 'guardian' of yours are in need of someone of her caliber."

Naruto cursed under his breath and sat again. The old man had a damn point but who was to say he was not just lying again to get him back in good graces. He took a momentarily glance down at Riri, who seemed just as conflicted as he did. He then glared back up at the old man. He could not really be mad at him anymore because of the whole 'fox' incident because he had pulled on that chakra twice now. Granted he blamed the Sannin for even introducing the idea but considering everything from the past few days maybe he did have a point.

"Fine, but I by no means trust you."

"Wouldn't expect you to." Jiraiya laughed and let him go. "Still, how many bowls do I owe you?"

"At least ten."

Jiraiya whistled lowly but pulled out a wad of money and slid them across the counter. "Damn, guess you do like the stuff. Heh, remind me of this other goofball I used to know. Meet me at the gates tomorrow around ten, and we'll head out. Guess what Ririshii, you'd better get used to me." He remarked as he leaned down to pat the animal, ignoring the loud snap of teeth as he pulled his hands away and left the way he had come.

They watched after him a while before Naruto turned back to his ramen. "Damn it, maybe I am stupid."

* * *

**Author Note x2: **ugh yay work interruptions!!!! And snow! I got stuck at a coworker's house on my day off last week and that was fun but sucked at the same time. UGH And apparently the plague is striking..stupid head. Thank you to the two who caught the BIG OPPSIES! I fixed em!


	21. Messed up chapter

**The Fox and the Hound**

**Missing Moments: **Age 4/5

**Author Note: **Okay, I needed to give you all a peace offering before you all skinned me alive for being so dead and I really needed outta the funk so here we are. Not the update many of you are looking forward to but it's something. I am currently re-watching the Tsunade arc and immersing myself in that so I can do the best I can with it. Been a while since we've partaken in it so I wanted to double check a few things. # 2: It's been dark and gray and depressing in Ohio as of late…and right now snow storm is smacking us silly so I've been in a funk….best way out...write something yeah kinda dark but alleviates at the end…and maybe the funk will alleviate as well.

So apologies all around for the biiiiig break, and I'll be returning to our normally scheduled programming shortly. For now, snuggles!!! LoL. The whole idea of this one does go back to the whole first paragraph of chapter one (yeah if any of us can remember that lol) where as Kakashi: "Needless to say it left him feeling stressed, worn, and ragged along the edges."

I feel I did not address that enough so…heheheheh…. We're going for some Kashi fluff!!! It's a little short but it proves I'm not dead yet!!

* * *

For the first time in a long time he was unaware of his surroundings. Well that was a partial lie. He knew he was in his room, he knew he was in Konoha, he just was not aware of the hour. It seemed like hours since he returned to make his report, to only verbally refuse the elders, and then to return to his apartment like a masked shell.

All he was for certain of right now was that it was dark and there was a particularly loud thunderstorm outside and it absolutely fit the mood he found himself in tonight.

That was the single con he had with being in ANBU. Sometimes the burden of their work was solely on your shoulders to bear. There were code names, there were hardly 'teams' in this line of work and it just boiled down to the fact that it was you and you alone to deal with what it was you had to do for your village. And sometimes those missions, crucial and important as they could be, were just too hard to take emotionally.

And no matter how much Kakashi ignored those feelings and was viewed as a model and gifted Shinobi to the outside world, he still found himself pushed up against the wall of his room staring at his bed like it was a demon creature; both beckoning him and threatening him at the same time.

The fact that mere sleep bothered him was an illogical fear; a baseless feeling of guilt that was haunting him since his trip into the outskirts of River.

"_She wasn't supposed to be there. She was supposed to be away visiting family and the rogue would be alone. Why was she there? Why did she fling herself like that? Why…why…." _

He could still see the shocked reaction on the woman's face….the way the color just drained from it as she finally stopped assaulting Kakashi and fell to the floor. Even as the man came forward; some sense to defend because he certainly never thought to stop his companion from attacking a ninja, Kakashi remained completely focused on the woman.

Killing was a part of the job description; they all knew that. It should not bother him but almost all the time it did when it came down to having to finish something that he knew intelligently that left unfinished would surely finish him. But his emotions told him to feel bad and Minato-sensei swore up and down that was what separated them from most others in the world, the ones only concerned for power and knowledge. They were human and they had a right to feel however they wanted. It was how you chose to feel and when that determined when they were detrimental.

Kakashi could still remember the great heave of relief Minato gave after Kakashi himself had finally broken down enough after Rin's death and practically begged him for a way to kill the feeling of it all.

"_I was starting to think you were too far gone…" _

But who was to say Kakashi was not too far gone now? As much as he let that particular lesson move in and out of his logic and awareness, it just did not stick and all he could see was the woman's wild-eyed determination to stop him from claiming her lover. She had been erratic and begun screaming like a banshee. It had turned what was supposed to be a quick, silent in and out to deal with a convicted criminal into the death of an innocent woman trapped by the man's lies.

"It was a reflex, it was only a reflex." Kakashi kept silently trying to tell himself as he sat in the darkness, illuminated only by occasional flashes of lightning. "I had to subdue her; I had to finish the mission."

He should be used to the idea of death. He had seen it often enough to know it intimately. He should not be bothered by it. Instead a building ache rose in his chest and threatened to crush him. All he could keep wondering was how he was no better than the criminal. Eventually the wanted man would have killed the woman; after she had outlived her usefulness. But was that the only option that had been open to Kakashi? He was a skilled ninja and he should have been able to just disable her without killing her. Why did he kill her?

Kakashi was surprised to feel the dampness collecting around his nose. He blinked a bit up at the ceiling, the rain was hard but he was on the third floor, there was no possible way of a leak, so to speak. Instead he reached up to finger the mask to find it was wet and at some point the eye Obito had given him had begun to water….no he was lying to himself again…he was crying. For what reason, he was unsure, but he was and it was disturbing.

Maybe all those who secretly held bets on when he would finally crack were right. Everyone was waiting on it to happen so it had to be coming. It was just as Minato-sensei had always feared; they had been too young. They rose too fast and had no way to deal with any of this properly.

His father caved easily enough bets were he would fall just as easily.

Kakashi winced hard and buried his head on his knees, letting his hands come up to enclose his head. He had not thought about that particular event in his life for a LONG time… a very long time. In anger he reached up and ripped the mask down and away from his face. He tried to take a deep steadying breath but it only ended up feeling like one long gulp for air as if he had been suffocating.

"_Please…sensei…Obito…Rin…." _

He still sat there, head bowed to his knees and his breath coming in ragged gasps. His brain kept trying to force him up; the need, the craving, to go to the memorial stone was rather intense right about now. In this weather there would be no one there but the dead to speak to and he could get this out of his system like all the other times and pray it was as easy to forget as them.

But he stayed glued to his bedroom floor.

There was some comfort in this familiar setting and as much as logic dictated he get out of the confined space his emotion dictated that he stay put. In the dead silence the sound of the pouring rain sounded almost like running water against the tall apartment building windows. It was a steady source of sound to keep his focus on and he clung to it like a lifeline. The sound was soothing except for the occasional loud crack or low threatening rumble. Those found him glaring at the window much as he was his bed; as if the sounds were purposefully preventing him from finding any peace this evening.

And then he was back at that house. The slightest of scuffles drew his attention and he whirled around to find the source. Maybe the elders wanted him dealt with now; he certainly might have found the limit of his use. For a second there was only a shadow in his peripheral vision and he tensed up and huddled down again.

"Nii-san…."

The whispered words instantly put his fears to rest, though it did not help the panic. It was only Naruto and now in the flash of a far off strike he could tell it was the blonde standing timidly at the door, peering in with one hand on the door handle and the other bracing him against the door frame.

Kakashi fought hard to lessen the flow from both of his eyeballs and peered carefully under his arm. He had nearly forgotten the little boy in his rush to get home and just hide in his room earlier that night. They were both still adapting to one another and even though most days Naruto seemed rather content in his new settings, there was this skittish nature about him that would be set off by certain visual cues. Bets were Kakashi's actions earlier and now had frightened Naruto.

Just then a loud crack sounded more closely and a more probable scenario came to light. Naruto jumped visibly but kept himself grounded by the door knob and door frame. It was not Kakashi's actions that had prodded Naruto out of hiding, it was the storm outside. What had been a soothing distraction for him had to be a little more terrifying to a small child.

There was no telling how long the four-year-old had been standing there while Kakashi mentally shut himself off from his surroundings but he was pretty sure the storm had started an hour or two ago. There was no guessing how long it took Naruto to work up the courage to come to his door but it was probable that the boy had seen pretty much everything recent.

Kakashi fought furiously to calm the raging emotions forcing their way out in the most wonderful of times to address the boy, to maybe reassure him, but it was like something had choked off all the air and in the end he just sat there watching Naruto as Naruto watched back.

"_He'll run eventually and I'll have to fix it later…" _Kakashi was reasoning quietly in his head somewhat thankful for another distraction. Usually if Naruto was not addressed after a certain amount of time, Naruto assumed he was bothering you and he would disappear.

This time, however, Naruto decided to have a bit more courage.

Naruto peered around the door's edge to the window; as if he was looking to see what it was Kakashi had been so keen on staring at before. Seeing nothing he let go of the door and took a few timid steps into the room, stopping just short of Kakashi. The two were once again staring at one another. Strangely enough you could see those bright blue eyes in any level of light and Kakashi wanted to smirk at the nervous display but felt so drained by this point he could just watch to see what it was Naruto wanted so badly.

And maybe if Naruto addressed **him** he could finally get the cotton out of his mouth and speak like a normal person would again.

Naruto only cocked his head to the side and he took a curious glance at Kakashi's face, expose for the little boy to see and the scarred eye that Kakashi had closed the moment Naruto spoke. The nineteen-year-old was curious as to the outcome of this scrutiny and the awful ache seemed to ebb slightly as he waited.

But that ended up being the true surprise. Naruto very quietly took another step forward and then another, until he was standing right next to Kakashi; the silver spikes only a few inches taller shorter than the four-year-old blonde with the way Kakashi was leaning on his knees. Naruto then reached out and began to pet the silver hair just in front of him.

Kakashi sat there transfixed and shocked by the gesture. The child was actually trying to comfort him. Why in the world would he think to do such a thing? Why did this fact surprise him so much?

Kakashi pressed his back firmly up against the wall, sitting straight up for the first time in a few hours. Naruto withdrew his hand slightly as Kakashi sat to his full height. It was a momentary hesitation and soon the little boy was crawling carefully into Kakashi's lap and snuggling into the man's chest. Kakashi sat still for a moment, watching Naruto get comfortable, and wondered if this was merely what the child wanted from him because of the storm.

"It's okay."

Again Naruto barely spoke above a whisper but the words carried enough weight to stun Kakashi into complete silence. Naruto merely laid his head just below Kakashi's chin and seemed to sit quietly as Kakashi debated internally. It did not take long for it to snap. The slow steady flow he had damn near stopped came back full force and he instinctively wrapped his arms around the little blonde in his lap and snuggled his cheek into the soft hair just below him.

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry…"

He was not sure if he was apologizing to Naruto or he was just saying sorry for sorry's sake but he choked on the words as he hugged the little boy closer. A loud snap of lightning and Kakashi felt the grip on his shirt tighten momentarily. He half laughed, half sobbed and held tighter. Here was a frightened four-year-old comforting him when there was a thunderstorm outside. It was all backwards in every sense of the word but it just seemed fitting at this particular moment.

It struck him that he believed for so many years that his last thread to his sanity was a porcelain mask. A mask that he had flung to the side in the dismay and had not thought about again in the chaos. In reality it was now Naruto. It was this little blonde boy whom he had only found so many months ago that happened to be the last connection he had to his sensei. It was just fitting that Naruto had come to find him at this particular hour.

Minato would have found him too no doubt.

After what seemed like eternity the tears finally stopped and the deep ache in his chest finally lifted enough that he did not feel like he was desperate for air. The thunder had finally died down and now only the sound of the steady rainfall fell on their ears.

Kakashi took a few moments to just sit there and relax and try to figure out the best way to fix this train wreck. He glanced down at the little blonde still cradled in his lap and bit down a snort of laughter. If anyone, ANYONE caught him now he was as good as dead because his reputation was down the gutter. But at the same time it was not half bad…it was relaxing and it was humbling.

"Naruto, you okay?"

"Uh huh." Naruto nodded sleepily against his chest and gripped a little tighter, his head inclining up slightly to eye him. "You're not hurt again are you Nii-san? You're okay?"

"No Naruto, I…I'm not hurt. I just had a really bad day." Kakashi patted his head a little and smiled sadly at the wide blue eyes now peering up at him. "Thank you though. I guess….I guess I really needed that."

"I guess everybody has a bad day on the tenth." Naruto remarked as he smoothed out a wrinkle on Kakashi's sleeve. "Everyone seems mad or sad, but it's okay Nii-san! I promise."

"_The tenth…" _Kakashi took a quick glance up at his calendar and groaned. He knew it was coming the day he turned nineteen. October followed September….and it was now October tenth. The storm had chased off all the would-be celebrations and closed all the game booths and stalls, the heavy rains had dimmed the mood of an already dark village and of course Kakashi now felt even guiltier. "So they do. Do you know what happened on the tenth?"

"Uh huh. Your sensei died fighting the demon fox." Naruto pointed up to above his nightstand at the team photo enshrined there. "Course I didn't know that till class…."

Kakashi smiled sadly and ruffled the hair, smiling at the picture above his bed too. What an awful guardian he was turning out to be. "That's true, but do you know what else happened that day?"

Naruto seemed to consider this question seriously then pushed away and sat leaned up against his knees, still propped up ahead of them both. "No, what?"

"I'm pretty sure the Hokage told me that was the day you were born." Kakashi hated to lie but it would be pretty reckless to just magically know that was the boy's birthday. Naruto was only four but he seemed rather perceptive of what was going on around him. "It's your birthday today. I'm sorry I forgot…"

"Oh…well that's okay I did too I think…" Naruto frowned for a moment then cuddled back under Kakashi's chin. "It's not a very good day for one."

Kakashi fought down the urge to snicker at the observation. It was a rather shitty day for a birthday. It was a rather shitty day in general. Especially this year. Maybe it was just the culmination of the year as a whole and maybe it was just the timing but it seemed fitting that this happened today of all days.

"Well then maybe tomorrow we can make up for it." Kakashi waited till Naruto was comfortable again to wrap his one arm around him. "I can summon Pakkun and we'll go do what you want. I'm pretty sure the Hokage is giving me a little vacation after I told off the elders…"

"What'd you do that for?"

"I didn't much like what they had to say." Kakashi winced remembering the next mission they wanted him on and how he neatly told them to shove it. Not in those words but pretty damn close to those words.

"Oh…did you get in trouble?"

"Sort of…." Kakashi chuckled and ruffled the hair. "But don't worry about it. I think my biggest concern is sleep. It's been a bad day, it's late and I dunno about you but I'm tired."

"Me too." Naruto yawned heavily and nodded in agreement. Seeing as they were already pretty comfortable where they were Kakashi merely slid down on the wall a bit and closed his eyes. Naruto yawned another time before his breathing evened out and both of them allowed the rain outside to lull them to sleep.

* * *

"I would think that you would be more comfortable in a bed, but who am I to question your habits."

Kakashi popped his one eye open to find Asuma standing above him and he cursed viciously under his breath.

"Oh not nice" Asuma grinned happily and pointed at the mass of blonde to Kakashi's other side, still gripping to the black material of his shirt. "Careful he might pick up that language subconsciously."

"What are you doing here?" Kakashi groaned and reached up for his nose.

"Oh you know, dropping by. I figured maybe I ought to check to make sure you were still in one piece after telling the old bats that you had no interest in being their errand boy yesterday, you know… usually only crazy people say that to Lady Koharu." Asuma reached into his pocket and lit a cigarette. "Honestly man, what's gotten into you lately?"

"I'm having a rough week, is it too hard to imagine that?"

"Well no, but you voicing that is rather…surprising." Asuma took a puff and let it billow out slowly from his mouth regarding both Kakashi and Naruto. "What did he hear you having your little panic attack did he?"

"Wha…The….how do …." Kakashi sat up a little too roughly, ready to throttle Asuma either because the older man had been eavesdropping or Might Gai was a dead man the next time he saw him. It had only happened two other times than this he was sure of it. "I swear to god Sarutobi…"

Naruto was sitting up bleary eyed and rubbing at his head. Kakashi had come up so fast he had not thought about the blonde and how he was attached. The blonde was still half asleep which was good for Kakashi to get the rest of his growl out before Naruto had time to realize they had company.

"…. First off stop being your father's little spy and secondly he was scared by the storm last night, what was I suppose to kick him out while I had a moment?" Kakashi sneered as Asuma smirked and blinked back in surprise.

"Oh that's rich." Asuma finally chuckled and grinned big when Naruto's dull eyes finally glanced up at the large man that had not been there the night before. "Morning Naruto…."

For a second Naruto merely stood there blinking before darting behind Kakashi and then bashfully peering back out around to look as Asuma. Asuma grinned around his cigarette and knelt down to their level and dug around in his back pocket a bit. "Oh I see, still a bit wary aren't ya? If you don't come out I can't give you your present."

"Present?" Naruto got up on his toes and leaned heavily on Kakashi's shoulder, pulling himself almost up like a drape. "What'd you do that for?"

"It was your birthday yesterday wasn't it?" Asuma chuckled and held out the small package as bait. "And if you don't come out we can't have any of what Kurenai's making…"

Kakashi turned to the doorway and sure enough the smell of 'something' hit his nose and his stomach growled angrily. He swung back to Asuma who was still smiling happily to himself for putting this together. He still was a little unsure as to what was happening here but it seemed as if Asuma had something up his sleeve.

Tentatively Naruto slid down and walked up to Asuma who waited for him to take the small box to pat him on the head. "See, no matter what Kakashi tells you I'm not a bad guy am I?"

Naruto shook his head side to side, carefully eyeing the box and turning it over in his hands. Kakashi fought the urge to laugh. He remembered how Naruto had been unsure about what else had happened on the tenth and it was highly likely he did not know about his birthday or ever received any kind of present in turn.

So he carefully reached over the boy and pulled on a corner of the paper and ripped it off for him. "You better open it; otherwise I think we don't get breakfast."

"Yeah, and Kakashi sounds hungry kid." Asuma added in.

Naruto caught onto the idea quick enough and pulled the rest of the paper off and carefully opened the lid on the plain cardboard box inside. He then reached in and pulled out a small stuffed figure that confused him for a moment but then he lit up. The small stuffed dog was a pug and greatly resembled….

"It's Pakkun…"

"Figured he could keep you company if Kakashi forgets to leave the real mutt behind for you." Asuma stood and blew out another cloud of smoke. He gleamed happily in Kakashi's direction and he flipped the older man off behind Naruto's back until the blonde turned happily to show him.

It was just too much cute and he smiled happily and patted the boy on his head. He stood slowly, testing his back and ignoring Asuma's happy chuckle. "I'm still mad at you."

"Sure you are…" Asuma waved his hand as he headed for Kakashi's kitchen. Naruto watched him go and then looked up to Kakashi for confirmation that he should go to and he nodded. Naruto tentatively walked out to the living area and glanced around the corner until Kakashi went past him. Sure enough Kurenai was involved as well and he gave her a look as well but smiled happily to put Naruto at ease.

"What you don't like having cooked meals Kakashi?" Kurenai shot back at him and showed him the grilled fish and he could smell the rice cooking.

"Well I'm still not too sure that you can cook…"

"Something's better than nothing." Kurenai grinned victoriously and Kakashi relented and sat heavily at the table where Asuma was leaning up against the counter watching Naruto. Kurenai softened her smile and turned to the corner to greet him. "Good morning Naruto."

"Mornin…" Naruto crept out to watch her more closely. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Well you already got your present from Asuma, I figured I would cook you breakfast." Kurenai held out a piece of the fish to the boy who hesitated a bit to take it but finally did. Once he mulled it over a bit he grinned happily and sat up on the counter to watch her finish her cooking. "See, its good Kakashi."

"Yeah Nii-san it's really good!" Naruto nodded enthusiastically. Asuma began laughing under his breath and Kurenai raised her eyebrow at Kakashi momentarily before shaking her head and going back to the rice.

"Nii-san…" Asuma was chuckling a little more now. "Oh that's great…"

"You say a word…"

"Oh relax, we're not saying anything. Just cute is all." Asuma really grinned at that one and patted Naruto on his head. "So Naruto, how's the academy going?"

"Good…I caught up on the hand signs." Naruto fidgeted a little under the attention but then Kurenai put out the food and all was well in his world again. Begrudgingly Kakashi took the offered breakfast. How many people exactly knew about all of this…..how did Asuma.

Asuma sat next to Kakashi and finally speared him. "Look, someone had to keep an eye out for you since Gai was out of the village…"

"I knew it." Kakashi replied in a low voice.

"But for the record who gives a shit. Doesn't mean anything, just that you're not half cracked as many people believe you to be." Asuma leaned back and stared up at the ceiling. He and Kurenai must have already eaten because Kurenai was happily talking to Naruto asking how her food was. "And maybe the old man was wrong, maybe the kid should've been here all along, though I highly doubt you'd know how to deal with a baby."

"Thanks for that vote of confidence." Kakashi snarled but had to admit it was a shock to hear Asuma say that. He was pretty sure he had lost what little sanity he had left and Asuma was telling him it was okay, kind of like Naruto had the hours before.

"Just saying." Asuma shrugged. "Anyway the old man was worried the kid had a bad day yesterday it was technically HIM I was spying on not you, at least till you came home muttering to yourself like a mad man."

"And did he have a bad day?" Kakashi chose to ignore the jab.

"eh, wouldn't call it spectacular. Those teachers are some real works of art, wanted to throttle the lot of them bringing up the 'lesson' of the day over and over again while glaring at him. The one though at least tried to make it a good day." Asuma shrugged once more and leaned back up to the table, resting his elbows on the smooth wood finish. "Really he went straight there, straight back here and just hid. Gotta train him outta that soon or its permanent."

"I'm trying…" Kakashi sighed and pushed away the now-empty tray. He had been starving apparently and Naruto had been correct it was not bad at all, almost good. "Though it will really help his stealth skill later on…"

"Heh, good point. Hard to find the little runt if he don't want to be." Asuma watched as Naruto begged for a little more and Kurenai obliged him happily. "Fair warning she'll be over more now, he likes it. And for the record if you need to kick him out for a while to have, how'd you put it, a moment? Just find one of us. We'll look out for you guys…"

"Thanks…"

Asuma chuckled, put out his cigarette and waved at Kurenai. "I gotta get going, mission later. Try not to get him too exhausted Naruto-kun, the old man said he was supposed to be taking it easy for the next few days."

"kay!" Naruto happily waved without turning around, enjoying more of the grilled fish Kurenai had made and pulling on the chopsticks to get more rice with it. "Thanks Asuma-sama!!!"

"Don't mention it."

Kakashi watched him go and then eyed Kurenai who was watching after Asuma. For trying to hide it they were horrible at it. Still it was nice of the two of them to actually think about Naruto, and as Asuma had put it forth; him as well. It was also somewhat annoying and frustrating. Since when were people looking out for him again? Weren't they all dead?

A small tug on his shirt sleeve broke him out of his depressing thought and he glanced down to Naruto, somehow now right up beside him. "Nii-san, can you still summon Pakkun? I wanna show him…."

"Oh right, I forgot, sorry about that." Kakashi laughed a little and stood to stretch. "Maybe you want to wait till later? You might have more presents to show him and I can't keep summoning him multiple times…"

"More presents?" Naruto's eyes went wide and then slowly a small grin spread on his face. "Why would I get more?"

"Cause I haven't gotten you anything yet, I am sure Ayame and Teuchi have something or will give you a free lunch…Hokage-sama, Iruka from the academy…"

"You really think so?" Naruto bounced up and raced off for his room. "I better get dressed then!"

Kakashi shook his head then turned to Kurenai who was frowning after the boy. "Just makes your blood boil doesn't it?"

"How could they do something like that to a child? He didn't expect anything for his birthday?" Kurenai picked up the dishes and seemed set on cleaning up after herself and Naruto and Kakashi. "What kind of …"

"I'm pretty sure he didn't even know it was his birthday." Kakashi shrugged and moved about getting dressed as well. He heard Kurenai muttering something under her breath and he was not too sure but he was probably going to be hearing about an unnamed Genjutsu being cast upon the orphanage later. Not that he would ever implicate his friend ever. No…in fact she was with him and Naruto for most of the day…she helped them get a few things so she could make them dinner that evening as well….

* * *

**Author Note x2: **Yeah I know..depressing and ugh..but that's the mood so far. Plus we needed some Kakashi fluff! Speaking from experience those dates can and will sneak up on you. For the longest time the date of my mother's death would just ambush me out of nowhere and it initiated 'hermit' mode. It takes a good long time till it stops hurting and usually it's something completely unrelated that will trigger it. So I can relate with Kakashi's little 'panic attack'. I mean he's nineteen and alone…sooner or later that will wear on you. But turns out not so alone after all XD onward to get the next good chapter out!


	22. Missing Moment: Inbetween 4 and 5

**The Fox and the Hound**

**Missing Moments: **Age 4/5

**Author Note: **Okay, I needed to give you all a peace offering before you all skinned me alive for being so dead and I really needed outta the funk so here we are. Not the update many of you are looking forward to but it's something. I am currently re-watching the Tsunade arc and immersing myself in that so I can do the best I can with it. Been a while since we've partaken in it so I wanted to double check a few things. # 2: It's been dark and gray and depressing in Ohio as of late…and right now snow storm is smacking us silly so I've been in a funk….best way out...write something yeah kinda dark but alleviates at the end…and maybe the funk will alleviate as well.

So apologies all around for the biiiiig break, and I'll be returning to our normally scheduled programming shortly. For now, snuggles!!! LoL. The whole idea of this one does go back to the whole first paragraph of chapter one (yeah if any of us can remember that lol) where as Kakashi: "Needless to say it left him feeling stressed, worn, and ragged along the edges."

I feel I did not address that enough so…heheheheh…. We're going for some Kashi fluff!!! It's a little short but it proves I'm not dead yet!!

**NOTE: **Sorry for the double post but something weird's going on with chapter 21 so I decided to make this 22 to see if it fixed it.

* * *

For the first time in a long time he was unaware of his surroundings. Well that was a partial lie. He knew he was in his room, he knew he was in Konoha, he just was not aware of the hour. It seemed like hours since he returned to make his report, to only verbally refuse the elders, and then to return to his apartment like a masked shell.

All he was for certain of right now was that it was dark and there was a particularly loud thunderstorm outside and it absolutely fit the mood he found himself in tonight.

That was the single con he had with being in ANBU. Sometimes the burden of their work was solely on your shoulders to bear. There were code names, there were hardly 'teams' in this line of work and it just boiled down to the fact that it was you and you alone to deal with what it was you had to do for your village. And sometimes those missions, crucial and important as they could be, were just too hard to take emotionally.

And no matter how much Kakashi ignored those feelings and was viewed as a model and gifted Shinobi to the outside world, he still found himself pushed up against the wall of his room staring at his bed like it was a demon creature; both beckoning him and threatening him at the same time.

The fact that mere sleep bothered him was an illogical fear; a baseless feeling of guilt that was haunting him since his trip into the outskirts of River.

"_She wasn't supposed to be there. She was supposed to be away visiting family and the rogue would be alone. Why was she there? Why did she fling herself like that? Why…why…." _

He could still see the shocked reaction on the woman's face….the way the color just drained from it as she finally stopped assaulting Kakashi and fell to the floor. Even as the man came forward; some sense to defend because he certainly never thought to stop his companion from attacking a ninja, Kakashi remained completely focused on the woman.

Killing was a part of the job description; they all knew that. It should not bother him but almost all the time it did when it came down to having to finish something that he knew intelligently that left unfinished would surely finish him. But his emotions told him to feel bad and Minato-sensei swore up and down that was what separated them from most others in the world, the ones only concerned for power and knowledge. They were human and they had a right to feel however they wanted. It was how you chose to feel and when that determined when they were detrimental.

Kakashi could still remember the great heave of relief Minato gave after Kakashi himself had finally broken down enough after Rin's death and practically begged him for a way to kill the feeling of it all.

"_I was starting to think you were too far gone…" _

But who was to say Kakashi was not too far gone now? As much as he let that particular lesson move in and out of his logic and awareness, it just did not stick and all he could see was the woman's wild-eyed determination to stop him from claiming her lover. She had been erratic and begun screaming like a banshee. It had turned what was supposed to be a quick, silent in and out to deal with a convicted criminal into the death of an innocent woman trapped by the man's lies.

"It was a reflex, it was only a reflex." Kakashi kept silently trying to tell himself as he sat in the darkness, illuminated only by occasional flashes of lightning. "I had to subdue her; I had to finish the mission."

He should be used to the idea of death. He had seen it often enough to know it intimately. He should not be bothered by it. Instead a building ache rose in his chest and threatened to crush him. All he could keep wondering was how he was no better than the criminal. Eventually the wanted man would have killed the woman; after she had outlived her usefulness. But was that the only option that had been open to Kakashi? He was a skilled ninja and he should have been able to just disable her without killing her. Why did he kill her?

Kakashi was surprised to feel the dampness collecting around his nose. He blinked a bit up at the ceiling, the rain was hard but he was on the third floor, there was no possible way of a leak, so to speak. Instead he reached up to finger the mask to find it was wet and at some point the eye Obito had given him had begun to water….no he was lying to himself again…he was crying. For what reason, he was unsure, but he was and it was disturbing.

Maybe all those who secretly held bets on when he would finally crack were right. Everyone was waiting on it to happen so it had to be coming. It was just as Minato-sensei had always feared; they had been too young. They rose too fast and had no way to deal with any of this properly.

His father caved easily enough bets were he would fall just as easily.

Kakashi winced hard and buried his head on his knees, letting his hands come up to enclose his head. He had not thought about that particular event in his life for a LONG time… a very long time. In anger he reached up and ripped the mask down and away from his face. He tried to take a deep steadying breath but it only ended up feeling like one long gulp for air as if he had been suffocating.

"_Please…sensei…Obito…Rin…." _

He still sat there, head bowed to his knees and his breath coming in ragged gasps. His brain kept trying to force him up; the need, the craving, to go to the memorial stone was rather intense right about now. In this weather there would be no one there but the dead to speak to and he could get this out of his system like all the other times and pray it was as easy to forget as them.

But he stayed glued to his bedroom floor.

There was some comfort in this familiar setting and as much as logic dictated he get out of the confined space his emotion dictated that he stay put. In the dead silence the sound of the pouring rain sounded almost like running water against the tall apartment building windows. It was a steady source of sound to keep his focus on and he clung to it like a lifeline. The sound was soothing except for the occasional loud crack or low threatening rumble. Those found him glaring at the window much as he was his bed; as if the sounds were purposefully preventing him from finding any peace this evening.

And then he was back at that house. The slightest of scuffles drew his attention and he whirled around to find the source. Maybe the elders wanted him dealt with now; he certainly might have found the limit of his use. For a second there was only a shadow in his peripheral vision and he tensed up and huddled down again.

"Nii-san…."

The whispered words instantly put his fears to rest, though it did not help the panic. It was only Naruto and now in the flash of a far off strike he could tell it was the blonde standing timidly at the door, peering in with one hand on the door handle and the other bracing him against the door frame.

Kakashi fought hard to lessen the flow from both of his eyeballs and peered carefully under his arm. He had nearly forgotten the little boy in his rush to get home and just hide in his room earlier that night. They were both still adapting to one another and even though most days Naruto seemed rather content in his new settings, there was this skittish nature about him that would be set off by certain visual cues. Bets were Kakashi's actions earlier and now had frightened Naruto.

Just then a loud crack sounded more closely and a more probable scenario came to light. Naruto jumped visibly but kept himself grounded by the door knob and door frame. It was not Kakashi's actions that had prodded Naruto out of hiding, it was the storm outside. What had been a soothing distraction for him had to be a little more terrifying to a small child.

There was no telling how long the four-year-old had been standing there while Kakashi mentally shut himself off from his surroundings but he was pretty sure the storm had started an hour or two ago. There was no guessing how long it took Naruto to work up the courage to come to his door but it was probable that the boy had seen pretty much everything recent.

Kakashi fought furiously to calm the raging emotions forcing their way out in the most wonderful of times to address the boy, to maybe reassure him, but it was like something had choked off all the air and in the end he just sat there watching Naruto as Naruto watched back.

"_He'll run eventually and I'll have to fix it later…" _Kakashi was reasoning quietly in his head somewhat thankful for another distraction. Usually if Naruto was not addressed after a certain amount of time, Naruto assumed he was bothering you and he would disappear.

This time, however, Naruto decided to have a bit more courage.

Naruto peered around the door's edge to the window; as if he was looking to see what it was Kakashi had been so keen on staring at before. Seeing nothing he let go of the door and took a few timid steps into the room, stopping just short of Kakashi. The two were once again staring at one another. Strangely enough you could see those bright blue eyes in any level of light and Kakashi wanted to smirk at the nervous display but felt so drained by this point he could just watch to see what it was Naruto wanted so badly.

And maybe if Naruto addressed **him** he could finally get the cotton out of his mouth and speak like a normal person would again.

Naruto only cocked his head to the side and he took a curious glance at Kakashi's face, expose for the little boy to see and the scarred eye that Kakashi had closed the moment Naruto spoke. The nineteen-year-old was curious as to the outcome of this scrutiny and the awful ache seemed to ebb slightly as he waited.

But that ended up being the true surprise. Naruto very quietly took another step forward and then another, until he was standing right next to Kakashi; the silver spikes only a few inches taller shorter than the four-year-old blonde with the way Kakashi was leaning on his knees. Naruto then reached out and began to pet the silver hair just in front of him.

Kakashi sat there transfixed and shocked by the gesture. The child was actually trying to comfort him. Why in the world would he think to do such a thing? Why did this fact surprise him so much?

Kakashi pressed his back firmly up against the wall, sitting straight up for the first time in a few hours. Naruto withdrew his hand slightly as Kakashi sat to his full height. It was a momentary hesitation and soon the little boy was crawling carefully into Kakashi's lap and snuggling into the man's chest. Kakashi sat still for a moment, watching Naruto get comfortable, and wondered if this was merely what the child wanted from him because of the storm.

"It's okay."

Again Naruto barely spoke above a whisper but the words carried enough weight to stun Kakashi into complete silence. Naruto merely laid his head just below Kakashi's chin and seemed to sit quietly as Kakashi debated internally. It did not take long for it to snap. The slow steady flow he had damn near stopped came back full force and he instinctively wrapped his arms around the little blonde in his lap and snuggled his cheek into the soft hair just below him.

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry…"

He was not sure if he was apologizing to Naruto or he was just saying sorry for sorry's sake but he choked on the words as he hugged the little boy closer. A loud snap of lightning and Kakashi felt the grip on his shirt tighten momentarily. He half laughed, half sobbed and held tighter. Here was a frightened four-year-old comforting him when there was a thunderstorm outside. It was all backwards in every sense of the word but it just seemed fitting at this particular moment.

It struck him that he believed for so many years that his last thread to his sanity was a porcelain mask. A mask that he had flung to the side in the dismay and had not thought about again in the chaos. In reality it was now Naruto. It was this little blonde boy whom he had only found so many months ago that happened to be the last connection he had to his sensei. It was just fitting that Naruto had come to find him at this particular hour.

Minato would have found him too no doubt.

After what seemed like eternity the tears finally stopped and the deep ache in his chest finally lifted enough that he did not feel like he was desperate for air. The thunder had finally died down and now only the sound of the steady rainfall fell on their ears.

Kakashi took a few moments to just sit there and relax and try to figure out the best way to fix this train wreck. He glanced down at the little blonde still cradled in his lap and bit down a snort of laughter. If anyone, ANYONE caught him now he was as good as dead because his reputation was down the gutter. But at the same time it was not half bad…it was relaxing and it was humbling.

"Naruto, you okay?"

"Uh huh." Naruto nodded sleepily against his chest and gripped a little tighter, his head inclining up slightly to eye him. "You're not hurt again are you Nii-san? You're okay?"

"No Naruto, I…I'm not hurt. I just had a really bad day." Kakashi patted his head a little and smiled sadly at the wide blue eyes now peering up at him. "Thank you though. I guess….I guess I really needed that."

"I guess everybody has a bad day on the tenth." Naruto remarked as he smoothed out a wrinkle on Kakashi's sleeve. "Everyone seems mad or sad, but it's okay Nii-san! I promise."

"_The tenth…" _Kakashi took a quick glance up at his calendar and groaned. He knew it was coming the day he turned nineteen. October followed September….and it was now October tenth. The storm had chased off all the would-be celebrations and closed all the game booths and stalls, the heavy rains had dimmed the mood of an already dark village and of course Kakashi now felt even guiltier. "So they do. Do you know what happened on the tenth?"

"Uh huh. Your sensei died fighting the demon fox." Naruto pointed up to above his nightstand at the team photo enshrined there. "Course I didn't know that till class…."

Kakashi smiled sadly and ruffled the hair, smiling at the picture above his bed too. What an awful guardian he was turning out to be. "That's true, but do you know what else happened that day?"

Naruto seemed to consider this question seriously then pushed away and sat leaned up against his knees, still propped up ahead of them both. "No, what?"

"I'm pretty sure the Hokage told me that was the day you were born." Kakashi hated to lie but it would be pretty reckless to just magically know that was the boy's birthday. Naruto was only four but he seemed rather perceptive of what was going on around him. "It's your birthday today. I'm sorry I forgot…"

"Oh…well that's okay I did too I think…" Naruto frowned for a moment then cuddled back under Kakashi's chin. "It's not a very good day for one."

Kakashi fought down the urge to snicker at the observation. It was a rather shitty day for a birthday. It was a rather shitty day in general. Especially this year. Maybe it was just the culmination of the year as a whole and maybe it was just the timing but it seemed fitting that this happened today of all days.

"Well then maybe tomorrow we can make up for it." Kakashi waited till Naruto was comfortable again to wrap his one arm around him. "I can summon Pakkun and we'll go do what you want. I'm pretty sure the Hokage is giving me a little vacation after I told off the elders…"

"What'd you do that for?"

"I didn't much like what they had to say." Kakashi winced remembering the next mission they wanted him on and how he neatly told them to shove it. Not in those words but pretty damn close to those words.

"Oh…did you get in trouble?"

"Sort of…." Kakashi chuckled and ruffled the hair. "But don't worry about it. I think my biggest concern is sleep. It's been a bad day, it's late and I dunno about you but I'm tired."

"Me too." Naruto yawned heavily and nodded in agreement. Seeing as they were already pretty comfortable where they were Kakashi merely slid down on the wall a bit and closed his eyes. Naruto yawned another time before his breathing evened out and both of them allowed the rain outside to lull them to sleep.

* * *

"I would think that you would be more comfortable in a bed, but who am I to question your habits."

Kakashi popped his one eye open to find Asuma standing above him and he cursed viciously under his breath.

"Oh not nice" Asuma grinned happily and pointed at the mass of blonde to Kakashi's other side, still gripping to the black material of his shirt. "Careful he might pick up that language subconsciously."

"What are you doing here?" Kakashi groaned and reached up for his nose.

"Oh you know, dropping by. I figured maybe I ought to check to make sure you were still in one piece after telling the old bats that you had no interest in being their errand boy yesterday, you know… usually only crazy people say that to Lady Koharu." Asuma reached into his pocket and lit a cigarette. "Honestly man, what's gotten into you lately?"

"I'm having a rough week, is it too hard to imagine that?"

"Well no, but you voicing that is rather…surprising." Asuma took a puff and let it billow out slowly from his mouth regarding both Kakashi and Naruto. "What did he hear you having your little panic attack did he?"

"Wha…The….how do …." Kakashi sat up a little too roughly, ready to throttle Asuma either because the older man had been eavesdropping or Might Gai was a dead man the next time he saw him. It had only happened two other times than this he was sure of it. "I swear to god Sarutobi…"

Naruto was sitting up bleary eyed and rubbing at his head. Kakashi had come up so fast he had not thought about the blonde and how he was attached. The blonde was still half asleep which was good for Kakashi to get the rest of his growl out before Naruto had time to realize they had company.

"…. First off stop being your father's little spy and secondly he was scared by the storm last night, what was I suppose to kick him out while I had a moment?" Kakashi sneered as Asuma smirked and blinked back in surprise.

"Oh that's rich." Asuma finally chuckled and grinned big when Naruto's dull eyes finally glanced up at the large man that had not been there the night before. "Morning Naruto…."

For a second Naruto merely stood there blinking before darting behind Kakashi and then bashfully peering back out around to look as Asuma. Asuma grinned around his cigarette and knelt down to their level and dug around in his back pocket a bit. "Oh I see, still a bit wary aren't ya? If you don't come out I can't give you your present."

"Present?" Naruto got up on his toes and leaned heavily on Kakashi's shoulder, pulling himself almost up like a drape. "What'd you do that for?"

"It was your birthday yesterday wasn't it?" Asuma chuckled and held out the small package as bait. "And if you don't come out we can't have any of what Kurenai's making…"

Kakashi turned to the doorway and sure enough the smell of 'something' hit his nose and his stomach growled angrily. He swung back to Asuma who was still smiling happily to himself for putting this together. He still was a little unsure as to what was happening here but it seemed as if Asuma had something up his sleeve.

Tentatively Naruto slid down and walked up to Asuma who waited for him to take the small box to pat him on the head. "See, no matter what Kakashi tells you I'm not a bad guy am I?"

Naruto shook his head side to side, carefully eyeing the box and turning it over in his hands. Kakashi fought the urge to laugh. He remembered how Naruto had been unsure about what else had happened on the tenth and it was highly likely he did not know about his birthday or ever received any kind of present in turn.

So he carefully reached over the boy and pulled on a corner of the paper and ripped it off for him. "You better open it; otherwise I think we don't get breakfast."

"Yeah, and Kakashi sounds hungry kid." Asuma added in.

Naruto caught onto the idea quick enough and pulled the rest of the paper off and carefully opened the lid on the plain cardboard box inside. He then reached in and pulled out a small stuffed figure that confused him for a moment but then he lit up. The small stuffed dog was a pug and greatly resembled….

"It's Pakkun…"

"Figured he could keep you company if Kakashi forgets to leave the real mutt behind for you." Asuma stood and blew out another cloud of smoke. He gleamed happily in Kakashi's direction and he flipped the older man off behind Naruto's back until the blonde turned happily to show him.

It was just too much cute and he smiled happily and patted the boy on his head. He stood slowly, testing his back and ignoring Asuma's happy chuckle. "I'm still mad at you."

"Sure you are…" Asuma waved his hand as he headed for Kakashi's kitchen. Naruto watched him go and then looked up to Kakashi for confirmation that he should go to and he nodded. Naruto tentatively walked out to the living area and glanced around the corner until Kakashi went past him. Sure enough Kurenai was involved as well and he gave her a look as well but smiled happily to put Naruto at ease.

"What you don't like having cooked meals Kakashi?" Kurenai shot back at him and showed him the grilled fish and he could smell the rice cooking.

"Well I'm still not too sure that you can cook…"

"Something's better than nothing." Kurenai grinned victoriously and Kakashi relented and sat heavily at the table where Asuma was leaning up against the counter watching Naruto. Kurenai softened her smile and turned to the corner to greet him. "Good morning Naruto."

"Mornin…" Naruto crept out to watch her more closely. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Well you already got your present from Asuma, I figured I would cook you breakfast." Kurenai held out a piece of the fish to the boy who hesitated a bit to take it but finally did. Once he mulled it over a bit he grinned happily and sat up on the counter to watch her finish her cooking. "See, its good Kakashi."

"Yeah Nii-san it's really good!" Naruto nodded enthusiastically. Asuma began laughing under his breath and Kurenai raised her eyebrow at Kakashi momentarily before shaking her head and going back to the rice.

"Nii-san…" Asuma was chuckling a little more now. "Oh that's great…"

"You say a word…"

"Oh relax, we're not saying anything. Just cute is all." Asuma really grinned at that one and patted Naruto on his head. "So Naruto, how's the academy going?"

"Good…I caught up on the hand signs." Naruto fidgeted a little under the attention but then Kurenai put out the food and all was well in his world again. Begrudgingly Kakashi took the offered breakfast. How many people exactly knew about all of this…..how did Asuma.

Asuma sat next to Kakashi and finally speared him. "Look, someone had to keep an eye out for you since Gai was out of the village…"

"I knew it." Kakashi replied in a low voice.

"But for the record who gives a shit. Doesn't mean anything, just that you're not half cracked as many people believe you to be." Asuma leaned back and stared up at the ceiling. He and Kurenai must have already eaten because Kurenai was happily talking to Naruto asking how her food was. "And maybe the old man was wrong, maybe the kid should've been here all along, though I highly doubt you'd know how to deal with a baby."

"Thanks for that vote of confidence." Kakashi snarled but had to admit it was a shock to hear Asuma say that. He was pretty sure he had lost what little sanity he had left and Asuma was telling him it was okay, kind of like Naruto had the hours before.

"Just saying." Asuma shrugged. "Anyway the old man was worried the kid had a bad day yesterday it was technically HIM I was spying on not you, at least till you came home muttering to yourself like a mad man."

"And did he have a bad day?" Kakashi chose to ignore the jab.

"eh, wouldn't call it spectacular. Those teachers are some real works of art, wanted to throttle the lot of them bringing up the 'lesson' of the day over and over again while glaring at him. The one though at least tried to make it a good day." Asuma shrugged once more and leaned back up to the table, resting his elbows on the smooth wood finish. "Really he went straight there, straight back here and just hid. Gotta train him outta that soon or its permanent."

"I'm trying…" Kakashi sighed and pushed away the now-empty tray. He had been starving apparently and Naruto had been correct it was not bad at all, almost good. "Though it will really help his stealth skill later on…"

"Heh, good point. Hard to find the little runt if he don't want to be." Asuma watched as Naruto begged for a little more and Kurenai obliged him happily. "Fair warning she'll be over more now, he likes it. And for the record if you need to kick him out for a while to have, how'd you put it, a moment? Just find one of us. We'll look out for you guys…"

"Thanks…"

Asuma chuckled, put out his cigarette and waved at Kurenai. "I gotta get going, mission later. Try not to get him too exhausted Naruto-kun, the old man said he was supposed to be taking it easy for the next few days."

"kay!" Naruto happily waved without turning around, enjoying more of the grilled fish Kurenai had made and pulling on the chopsticks to get more rice with it. "Thanks Asuma-sama!!!"

"Don't mention it."

Kakashi watched him go and then eyed Kurenai who was watching after Asuma. For trying to hide it they were horrible at it. Still it was nice of the two of them to actually think about Naruto, and as Asuma had put it forth; him as well. It was also somewhat annoying and frustrating. Since when were people looking out for him again? Weren't they all dead?

A small tug on his shirt sleeve broke him out of his depressing thought and he glanced down to Naruto, somehow now right up beside him. "Nii-san, can you still summon Pakkun? I wanna show him…."

"Oh right, I forgot, sorry about that." Kakashi laughed a little and stood to stretch. "Maybe you want to wait till later? You might have more presents to show him and I can't keep summoning him multiple times…"

"More presents?" Naruto's eyes went wide and then slowly a small grin spread on his face. "Why would I get more?"

"Cause I haven't gotten you anything yet, I am sure Ayame and Teuchi have something or will give you a free lunch…Hokage-sama, Iruka from the academy…"

"You really think so?" Naruto bounced up and raced off for his room. "I better get dressed then!"

Kakashi shook his head then turned to Kurenai who was frowning after the boy. "Just makes your blood boil doesn't it?"

"How could they do something like that to a child? He didn't expect anything for his birthday?" Kurenai picked up the dishes and seemed set on cleaning up after herself and Naruto and Kakashi. "What kind of …"

"I'm pretty sure he didn't even know it was his birthday." Kakashi shrugged and moved about getting dressed as well. He heard Kurenai muttering something under her breath and he was not too sure but he was probably going to be hearing about an unnamed Genjutsu being cast upon the orphanage later. Not that he would ever implicate his friend ever. No…in fact she was with him and Naruto for most of the day…she helped them get a few things so she could make them dinner that evening as well….

* * *

**Author Note x2: **Yeah I know..depressing and ugh..but that's the mood so far. Plus we needed some Kakashi fluff! Speaking from experience those dates can and will sneak up on you. For the longest time the date of my mother's death would just ambush me out of nowhere and it initiated 'hermit' mode. It takes a good long time till it stops hurting and usually it's something completely unrelated that will trigger it. So I can relate with Kakashi's little 'panic attack'. I mean he's nineteen and alone…sooner or later that will wear on you. But turns out not so alone after all XD onward to get the next good chapter out!


	23. A Lady in the Wind

**The Fox and the Hound**

Chapter 17: A Lady in the Wind

**Chapter Summary: **The hunt is on for the next Hokage. Naruto has little faith that Jiraiya actually knows what he's doing but with his only option of following the Sannin or staying behind in Konoha he finds himself again in the presence of the 'pervy old man'.

**Author Note: **hehehehehehehehehe…

* * *

Naruto had a hard time explaining it away.

In some perverted way he was glad to be leaving Konoha. It had been months since the Wave mission and there was some perverted pleasure in being able to leave the confines of those walls again. It was the oddest feeling of weight being lifted the moment he and the old man had left the gates and headed down the road, no real destination in sight.

Still he felt somewhat guilty and he kept turning behind him to watch the receding 'hidden' village. Of course that had been a few hours ago and now only empty road and trees caught his roving eyes. It was all wrong, Konoha was his home and yet he was GLAD to leave. There was just nothing right with the feeling at all.

But then it was hardly like his leaving was noticed by too many people. Sure he had sought out Sakura and had run into Shikamaru. Those two alone would let anyone who got too interested in his disappearance know what happened. Sakura had also promised to keep an eye on Kakashi and she said she would tell him where Naruto had gone should the man wake before they made it back.

Naruto highly doubted he would but he could hope for it at least.

Ririshii's tail flicked back and forth in front of him. The shepherd kept himself clean, even lengths behind Jiraiya and just in front of Naruto. He had yet to lose the tension or the aggression he held towards their 'squad' leader who strolled along ahead, oblivious. Riri's ears barely perked up and his head was hung low as if he were ready to strike the moment Jiraiya made any aggressive move towards Naruto.

At least Riri was with him. And it was not like he would allow himself to get tricked as he had been the previous time. Still it was comforting to know Riri would have his back this time.

"So what does one bribe the dog with…."

"I'm right here you know…"

"Dumplings." Naruto snickered and watched the pervert peer over his shoulder at the two of them finally. "Little meat filled dumplings."

"You're joking…"

Naruto shrugged as Riri huffed back at him, confused to the conversation's point.

"Guess I shoulda bought more ramen too…" Jiraiya began muttering and shaking his head. He tugged at a small pocket and pulled out a small pipe, not unlike Oji-san used to smoke, and began to light it. "You're too damn quiet."

"Sorry for the disappointment." Naruto still held some of his wariness as well. He did not feel particularly tense around the older man he just felt more guarded. "So where is it we're headed anyway? Do you know where this 'Hokage' is?"

"No I'm not sure where **she** is. But there are a few likely places she would gravitate to." Jiraiya responded and took a long puff. The smoke billowed out slowly in front of him only to be dispersed when the man walked through the produced cloud. "We'll start in a little town not too far from here."

"Figures it's a woman though." Riri snorted and Naruto had to snicker at the dog's jab.

"Yeah I'm still not sure if I got us roped into another one of his peeping missions or if this actually him finding someone that can help us." Naruto joined in on the shots. After all they both _**owed**_ him and taking cheap shots felt somewhat relieving.

Naruto halted when the man came up to his face. He merely smirked proudly while Riri growled.

"Honestly, you have no respect for your elders. I've told you already, the woman we're looking for is a fellow Sannin. Her name is Tsunade. She is one of the best medics in the world and that is why we are seeking her out…"

"Along with you not wanting the job." Naruto muttered under his breath but was ignored.

"It does help, however," Jiraiya straightened and began blushing madly as he began walking down the dirt path again. "that she is also a beauty unmatched…"

"Figures…" Both Naruto and Riri groaned and went back to ignoring the white-haired pervert and his ramblings.

In all honesty it was more fun to watch the greenery that passed them and he was trying hard to identify plants they passed that he found recognizable. Still his little game of distraction did not work for long and his mind refused to silence the raging number of questions. He apparently did not know how to keep his mouth shut for very long anymore.

And though he could not say he 'trusted' the older man he was now stuck with him for an unforeseeable amount of time on their little hunt. He could not just go on ignoring him all that time especially if he was going to get any more seals out of the old perv.

"So…I gotta question."

"Oh yeah?" Jiraiya leaned his head back and peered at him from over a broad shoulder. "What's that?"

"Why me?"

"Huh?"

"Why'd you pick me? You said before I seemed like someone you'd want to teach and I don't quite get it. Was it simply because of the fox or…"

Jiraiya stopped full to face him with a slight frown on his face as he regarded Naruto. "No….The Fourth Hokage was my disciple a long time ago and you bear such a striking resemblance to him. Stupid reason, but the only reason I got for you."

He turned on those ridiculous shoes of his and went about humming as he smoked. He was seemingly unaware of Naruto and Riri who just stood there. Naruto glanced down to his dog then back up to the retreating old man.

"_Did he just say I looked like the Fourth?" _Naruto scrunched up his nose and scrambled to start walking again. "_The hell does that…" _

It was confusing to hear he resembled the Fourth Hokage. After all Kakashi was trained by the Fourth and he had yet to say anything of the sort. Still it brought to mind the encounter from a few days ago. Itachi had told them what he and his companion were after when they had infiltrated Konoha; the Legacy of the Fourth Hokage. At the time all of them had concluded that was him; because of the fox. But…why would Jiraiya think he looked like the man?

"_Maybe he's going blind or something. All that peeping has him seeing shit that isn't there…." _

"So what's this thing anyway?" Naruto decided to tuck away the disturbing line of thought that had arisen for later and follow a different line of questioning. "What are these people after exactly?"

"I would have thought what they were after was obvious." Jiraiya chuckled and slowed his pace a little. "Why they are after it is up for debate but legend has it that the fox appears in times of consequence; times of great upheaval. But anyone after the demons can't be looking for them for something good…they have a plan I'm sure."

"Wait. Demons as in more than one?" Naruto smacked himself in the head and cursed. Of course more than one…he knew that already from meeting Gaara and had seen his 'Demon' or at least an incarnation of it. "Stupid, stupid, stupid…"

"What thought you were the only one?" Jiraiya had slowed to a point that he had caught up to him and now walked beside him. The pervert reached out and ruffled his hair a bit. Naruto shook his head hard to clear it and to somewhat dissuade the older man but it failed.

"No. One of the Sand Genin, the ones we faced, he was a container too." Naruto snarled and looked behind him for the village to only see blue sky and roadway. "I should have thought to tell someone. Someone should warn him. They might go after him right? If he has one of these things in him they'll want him too right."

"Suna is well aware of the threat." Jiraiya's tone made Naruto glance up questioningly. The man sighed and went on. "I maintain a very tight network of spies, kid. I don't just go gallivanting around the countries now do I?"

"How the hell should I know what you do? Seems to me you would just go gallivanting around…."

"Yeah, I think he has that word and 'gallant' confused." Riri was nodding his head in approval of this theory and was reward by a sharp glare from Jiraiya.

"Sometimes the best cover is to play the buffoon, wouldn't you agree?" Jiraiya leaned down so that he and Naruto were now face to face. "People pay very little attention to the clown or the prankster."

Naruto sighed but nodded his head. Okay so if he believed what the man was saying the peeping was a cover for what Jiraiya was really up to… Not only that but Jiraiya was on to his game and saw it for what it was because that was what he was doing.

"So you peep and carry on like some rich idiot and no one pays you any attention."

"Correct." Jiraiya straightened back to his full height and rubbed at his chin before starting their trek again. "And I guess you got yourself another reason for 'why you'. You remind me an awful lot of myself."

Naruto sighed and flung his arms behind his head as he would with Shikamaru. The old pervert was damn convincing and suddenly he did not feel as wary around him. Maybe the old man had done what he did exactly why he said he had done it; to force Naruto to face it. Maybe the fox was not an all around bad thing, just a backup…another trump card.

"So…." Naruto dangled out there, taking another glance up at the other man. Maybe he could test this newfound honesty and see what he got out of Jiraiya. "Who was your sensei?"

"Well I guess curiosity is better than nothing." Jiraiya was snickering to himself and decided to smile a bit. "I was trained first by the Third Hokage."

Naruto fought the urge to wince and cringe away from the topic immediately. That pain still lanced through him at any mention of Sarutobi and he did not want to touch the wound yet…maybe never. Riri whined a little and nudged at his elbow with his nose in response.

"Still a little raw on that I suppose." Jiraiya was putting out the pipe and tucking it back away in his pockets again. "Well then, seeing as I don't exactly want to answer a million questions, I'll only answer a question if you answer one of mine."

"Do wha?"

"You just asked a question and I answered it." Jiraiya smirked happily and pointed at his forehead. "Now you gotta answer one of mine."

"Fair enough I guess." Naruto shrugged and glanced down to Riri who seemed to have lost a little bit of his tension as well. His ears swiveled a bit more and were not entirely laid down against his head. They both were curious as to what the retaliation question was going to be.

"Why ramen?"

Naruto snickered and shook his head. Kakashi asked that question lots of times. "I dunno, I guess because the stand owner was always nice to me. They always gave me free food if they found me out…"

"Before Kakashi came along?"

"Yeah before Kakashi found me." Naruto grinned evilly. "That's two, my turn now."

The back and forth began and surprisingly the more they dug into it the more began Naruto began to smile. It was an odd thing, asking completely random and asinine questions to one another but slowly they were beginning to piece together little tidbits about the other person.

Even Riri got into the fray a few times, spearing Jiraiya with harder questions and Jiraiya firing them right back at the mutt. "_How'd you learn to talk?" _was the best of those questions and Riri had to struggle to explain how he just began stalking different people and observing Pakkun whenever Kakashi would summon him.

And in this odd game of twenty questions the time began to fly and it was not long before there was an easy silence between the three of them. Naruto still bristled about the incident with the cliff but it seemed all but forgotten as they neared a large outpost town that seemed absolutely alive even though the sun was setting to the west.

Jiraiya merely got a goofy grin on his face and began to step up his pace as they went down the winding stairs to the busy streets below. It was set up in two different paths, each path lined on both sides with booths, stands, and merchants. Naruto could not help but look around in slight interest. Besides the first time he went when he was eight and a few sparing times afterwards, he never really went to the festival held in Konoha. Just was not his thing.

But here there was the possibility of anonymity. No one knew who he was here. No one knew what he was. While he dutifully followed the white haired Sannin through the throngs of people, his attention remained divided until they arrived at a hotel and the old man was chatting up the woman behind the counter. He sighed a little and shook his head, sharing a look with Riri before pretending to ignore the overt gestures made by Jiraiya.

That was till the key was being tossed at him and the old man's bags came flying just behind it.

"Why don't you take those up to the room, kid." Jiraiya was headed out the door and waving his hand above his head. "I've got a little research to do."

"Research!? What about Tsunade!" Naruto yelled after him but never received a reply. He huffed a bit and lugged the man's bag up to his shoulder and looked at the number on the key he had been given. "Riri, next time I'm about to do something stupid you can bite me you know…"

"No couldn't do that." Riri shook his head as they headed up the stairs and narrow hallways till they found the room and unlocked the door. "Anyway you're not normally doing something stupid."

"What do you call this right here?" Naruto flung the bags to the side of the door and flopped down on the nearest bed. "It's a wild goose chase with a pervert at the helm. He can call it a cover all he wants but I still think he enjoys it."

"Just because he's running around doesn't mean we can't do something productive." Ririshii sat at his feet and began wagging his tail eagerly. "We could explore the city, or go back out and hunt around…train?"

"Heh good point. All he said was take the bags up to the room; he never said anything about staying here." Naruto sat back up and let his hands rest on the edge of the bed. "So, what do you want to do?"

"I smelled dumplings!" Riri barked and closed his eyes in a pleased fashion, licking his lips. "Not as good as pinky's but still been a while since I've had any."

"Hmm yeah, been a while since we ate, I suppose." Naruto reached over and dug around in his bag till he had both money and a few storage tags slipped into his pockets. "Let's go."

Once outside, they both just stood watching the large amount of people stalking the streets. The mood was animated and happy and most that passed were either enjoying some kind of treat or talking with friends and companions. Just in their immediate vicinity were game booths, a few food vendors and souvenir merchants.

After a long pause taking in all the sights and the bustle Riri jumped into the flow of the foot traffic with his nose stuck to the air sniffing wildly. Naruto quickly took up behind the shepherd and knew the dog's nose would lead him straight to the source of the dumplings. Sure enough they stopped outside one of the bigger stands where a man and woman were furiously cooking the dumplings and other treats. They got in line, Riri's tail going a mile a minute as they waited patiently to be next.

"Hello there dear! What'll it be?" The woman greeted him and waved him up to the counter.

"Do you have any meat filled dumplings?" Naruto grinned and pointed at Riri, who did his best impersonation of a faithful little pet; sitting at Naruto's side poised and perfectly still. The woman nodded and grabbed a small box. "And…" his eye caught a few dango sticks and he smiled despite of himself. "Some dango."

The woman handed over the stick with the multi-colored balls and he grinned while he handed her the money. Sure they were eating desert first but things seemed festive today so why not. They reentered the flow of people, Naruto quickly snapped down the snack and began pulling out the little dumplings and tossing them up in the air for Riri to catch. Each time the dog's mouth would clamp down happily and down the treat would go in a gulp.

Every time he would do this Riri would do a little different jump and even once he threw it high enough the dog could do a flip after the treat. He grinned a little as people stopped to watch. Riri seemed to enjoy the reaction their theatrics drew as well and puffed up a little in response.

Each little booth held different things. They each enjoyed a grilled squid and Naruto found these amazing little things called pocky which now stuck out of his mouth as he savored the chocolate stick. Every so often a vendor would catch his eye but he only looked. Not knowing how long the trip was going to be he wanted to space out the money he had brought with him.

That was until he came across a little flower vendor. He immediately stopped and slid up to the front of the stall where people were looking and selecting different flowers for bouquets and gifts. Naruto ignored the large bowls and vases of cut flowers and zeroed in on the large ruffled looking flowers in pots in the back.

The most of them were dark hues of pink and from the looks of them they were peonies but he had only seen them in books, he had yet to pry one from Lady Yamanaka's shop. Probably because they were good sellers and maybe they were difficult to grow, he never asked about them until now.

"Can I help you young man?" Again he was being addressed by a woman, this one a little older than the one at the first stall he had visited. She seemed rather curious by his attention and when he finally grinned up at her and pointed to the plants behind the counter she blinked.

"Are those peonies?"

"Yes…are you looking for a specific flower for someone?"

"No, I'm looking to grow one." Naruto beamed and admired the flowers again. Just his luck he had found a gardening booth.

"Is that so?" The woman raised an eyebrow questioningly and looked back at her 'stock' as it were. "I hate to say but you don't look the…"

"I have had plenty of practice with my azalea bushes. I was looking for something a little more flower-like." Naruto cut her off and again the eyebrows rose in surprise.

"Have you transplanted Azaleas?"

"Yeah …each time it gets too big I take cuttings and give away the grown bush. I've done that about three-four times."

"Well you are a strange kid, that's for sure." The woman chuckled. "Most people just want the flowers. Okay then, what color did you prefer."

"Well the azalea I have now is dark red." Naruto began looking over the plants again. "Perhaps a shade or two off to complement it."

"AH! You are a gardener…very well." The woman quickly picked up one of the medium toned pink plants and held it up for him to inspect. "How does this one strike you?"

Naruto grinned and reached out to touch the leaves and the stems. The plant seemed to be healthy and well cared for. "Looks pretty good to me."

"Would you like the whole plant or a starting cut?"

"_Jackpot." _Naruto reached for his money and began counting. "A starting cut if I could. That way I can see how it's done for myself."

The woman nodded and produced the proper tools and began showing him the proper cuts and procedures. Riri wandered off somewhere while he indulged his hobby. The woman took slow measured cuts and wrapped the root and eyes carefully before handing it to him to inspect. He double checked to make sure things looked right then handed her a wad of money.

"Thanks!" Naruto grinned happily and carefully put the new purchase in one of his scrolls. The woman waved as he left and then turned back to the more boring customers, buying just flowers and bouquets.

Naruto put himself back in the throngs of people and kept his eyes peeled for Ririshii. This was actually not too bad being able to walk around at his leisure and pop into booths as it suited him. If he did go to the Fire Festival back home he was always looking over his shoulder and he always had to gage how the booth owners were going to react to him before approaching.

He found a small pot at a ceramics stand after a few minutes and placed the peony cutting in it and back into the scroll. It really was helpful being able to pop things in and out of the lightweight papers but it made him painfully aware of he was still starting on sealing and made plans to bug the hell out of Jiraiya when the man finally popped back up for something new.

Naruto found a break in the traffic and dodged out to a grassy hill to watch from. It was a nice little break from all the worry and the rushing. He was now relaxed and wondered if he should go back to the room or find Riri and the two of them could go train a little in their usual dark setting.

Or they could do the alternative of Shikamaru's favorite pastime and go star gazing outside of the city.

"_Well that perv is just goofing off why can't we?" _Naruto grinned and began searching out his dog. Whatever had grabbed Ririshii's attention must have been good because the shepherd had not returned yet. Riri could find Naruto faster than the opposite but Naruto began scanning from his vantage point and soon found the spot of black and tan underneath a tree on the opposite side of his hill.

He jumped down and strolled that way watching as the festivities turned from more games and selling to more food and partying in the nighttime hours. Stargazing definitely seemed like a better idea now.

As he approached the tree he found Riri sitting nose to nose with a little pink pig. The pig wore a little coat and a necklace of sorts and its nose was scrunched up sniffing just as Ririshii was sniffing back. Both seemed rather interested in the other but neither were conversing that much or making any moves other than to sniff.

Behind the little pink pig was a dark haired woman dressed in black with white accents. Her head was buried as she leaned up against the tree, her head resting on her arms draped across her legs. As he got closer the little pig turned its attention from Riri to him and gave off a small worried oink.

"Hey lady, you okay?" Naruto came up and patted Riri on the head as the dog turned to him as well. Maybe that's why Riri had not come back yet; he had found someone hurt or lost or something…

The woman's head shot up and bleary eyes darting up to him for a brief second. "Oh, I'm sorry, yes I'm…"

She cut off as soon as her eyes settled on him and Riri again. She stopped so abruptly and her eyes went wide for a second Naruto backed off a little bit. Jiraiya and he were only a good five or six hours from the village it was possible this was a civilian from Konoha and she might know who he was.

"I'm….I'm fine." She finally continued on after blinking a few times and shaking her head slowly. Maybe she had just been asleep. He probably startled her. He was seeing ghosts where there was nothing. "I must have dozed off."

"Must be pretty tired to do so in the middle of all this!" Naruto grinned and pointed behind him to the festival.

She glanced behind him to the booths and the partying. "Oh…OH! It's nighttime already?"

"Yeah just got dark a little while ago." Naruto frowned. Maybe something was wrong with her and that was why her pet pig was oinking softly to the side in such a way. "You sure you're okay?"

The woman sighed and buried her head again. "Why does she keep doing this? We're gonna be run out of town before long…"

Naruto and Riri shared a look before glancing back to the woman.

"I'm sorry, really." She sat back up and smiled a timid little smile. "It's just my …well my boss you can call her. She's got a gambling problem. I guess I needed more than a break from watching her lose all her money…."

"Oh." Naruto sighed a little. So she was someone's worker and the boss was working her too hard. "Well I guess my boss is out drinking so I'm in the same boat."

The woman laughed a little and pushed back a strand of dark black hair. "I guess everyone has a vice to deal with. My name is Shizune, and you are?"

"Oh, I'm Naruto and this is Ririshii."

"Hello!" Riri added in happily and then put his nose back down to the pig. "What's her name?"

"Oh, a ninja dog." Shizune blinked at Riri then smiled. "Oh I'm sorry, this is TonTon."

"You don't seem too surprised by him." Naruto fingered Ririshii and cocked his head to the side.

"No, I've seen quite a few of them. I grew up in Konoha." Shizune smiled a little. "Though it's been a long time since I've been back there…the Inuzuka Clan is still there isn't it?"

"Oh yeah. But Riri's not one of them…"

"No too dog-like, most of theirs are wolf-like." Shizune nodded. They both were silent for a while until the woman stood and brushed off the black robe past her waist. TonTon stood as well and shook her coat out and nudged Riri in the leg a little bit. "Well Naruto since my Master is out gambling and yours is out drinking, we both seem to be alone for dinner. Would you like to accompany me? I would understand if you didn't…we're both strangers but…TonTon seems to really like Ririshii and usually she's a pretty good judge of character..."

"You can call me Riri if you like." Riri stood and wagged his tail and sniffed at the little pig again who's curled little tail seemed to wag in an odd way.

"Beats going alone I guess." Naruto grinned too and let the woman take the lead. He hung back a little bit, still a bit wary but the woman had a point that they were both alone and she seemed nice enough. Maybe she just needed someone to talk to, she had seen rather upset before. "Maybe you know someplace good too, we just got here today."

"Came in for the festival huh?" Shizune grinned and began weaving towards the quieter sections of the city. "It's really a good time of year to come…"

"Yeah never knew something like this was held clear out here." Naruto patted his side with the scroll and his plant. "You look long enough you find all sorts of good things."

"That's true." Shizune stopped in front of a small establishment and slid open the door. The smells reminded Naruto instantly of the Barbeque place from home and he savored the smell of cooking meats. Riri stopped at the door and was ready to pop himself outside when Shizune reached down and picked up TonTon in her arms, cradling the pig under its front legs. "It's alright Riri, the owner usually has a lot of ninja customers, and they allow familiars."

"Oh…well that's odd." Riri shook his head and stood back up. "Usually I get stuck outside."

"Haven't been too many places yet then have you?" Shizune waved to a waitress nearby and settled into a booth. "That must make you a Genin."

Naruto nodded as he sat across from her, Riri lumbering to underneath the table and laying with his head peering out at the others. "And you know a lot about ninja…"

"Oh, well like I said I grew up in Konoha…." Shizune laughed and rubbed at her hair. "My uncle used to be a Jounin. So I picked up a few things from him and around town."

"Really? Is he still a Jounin? Maybe I know him?" Naruto grinned. He knew a lot of people in the village just by snooping alone. Or maybe he was ANBU by now…

"I doubt it. He died in the war…"

"Oh….sorry, I didn't…"

"It's alright." Shizune's eyes looked out the nearby window. "It happened a long time ago. Though…maybe you can tell me about Konoha a little bit? It's been so long since we've been home, and I bet all sorts of things have been happening since we left… I'll even treat for dinner, how does that sound?"

Naruto grinned a little and nodded his head. He had his doubts a bit about this at first but it seemed Shizune was merely homesick. If her uncle had been a ninja his headband had probably struck her at first and now she was curious about what had been going on. Sure it was possible she was trying to worm something else out of him but like Shizune trusted TonTon, he trusted Riri and so far he gave no visual cues to be on guard around her. Hell the little pig was wriggling her way down to the floor to be next to the dog and was oinking and cooing in an odd fashion. Maybe the little pig was homesick too and was glad to have another animal around.

"That sounds like a pretty fair deal to me."

It did not seem so late until he finally found his way back to the hotel and keyed open the door to the room. Riri slinked in first stretching before clambering up into the bed Naruto had originally sat upon hours ago and laid with his head upon his front paws. Naruto put things back into his bags and double checked his cargo before laying down heavily with Riri and letting his head curl into the dog's midsection.

Still it had been nice to sit and talk to someone and talk about all the familiar places he knew. Shizune was very intent on listening to him and had only asked about certain places and people. Some he knew, others he did not and he told her what he could. He shied away from particular topics like the invasion and the Hokage's death but she did not really ask about those things.

"I was beginning to wonder if you were lost or not."

Naruto sat up and looked over to the other bed. Jiraiya was there, surprisingly but he did have that faint smell of booze on him and Naruto tensed a little. But then he relaxed it away, certainly if others could be nice after a night on the town so could Jiraiya….

"Hey, you only told me to bring the bags up here you did not say anything about staying here?" Naruto snorted towards the man's back. He was turned towards the windows, apparently he had been sleeping or resting…or something…Naruto couldn't be sure.

"Okay so I guess I need to be more specific." Jiraiya finally sat up and stretched. He took in Riri and Naruto a moment before scratching at his head. "Guess I should've given you the talk…"

"The…talk?" Naruto scrunched up his nose and frowned.

"Yes, the talk. There are three vices Shinobi should avoid; they are alcohol, women, and money."

For a second Naruto just blinked back at the older man, not quite sure whether Jiraiya was serious or if he was joking with him. But the longer they stared at one another the more it became clear that the older man was serious.

"What the hell do you think I was doing?" Naruto finally balked and straightened indignantly. "For starters I'm twelve…I can't drink!"

"A lot of places would argue that you having that headband makes you old enough…" Jiraiya began saying and the fact that the man was serious about this set Naruto off oddly.

"Secondly, you're in violation of TWO of those rules yourself. We first met when you decided you wanted to peep at women in a bathhouse! First thing you gotta do when you get into town is 'research'." Naruto put his fingers up in a quotation mark symbol and wagged them teasingly. "You go to bars to FIND your research if you can't find a bathhouse from the smells of it…"

"Okay, okay…." Jiraiya threw up his hands and shook his head. "So you've made a point,"

"God only knows what this other teammate of yours is like," Naruto laid down heavily again, throwing his arms beneath his head as a pillow of sorts as he stared at the ceiling. "You're a pervert, Orochimaru is obviously insane, and so who knows what this lady is like…"

"Heh, for the record Sarutobi was a pervert too."

Naruto snorted and turned away from the old man. Whatever. Like he believed that at all. The Third was a nice man, there was no way…

"Copy one of all my books always went to him. The second copy to Kakashi…"

Naruto again snorted but he kind of knew that little tidbit already. The inside of the covers always had the number printed on the inside cover and it was always two. But that was as far as he ever looked inside the little orange books.

"Hell who do you think taught me to peep so well?"

"So well? Honestly I don't see how you don't get run out of every town you come upon."

"It's all part of the charm kid. All part of the charm!" Jiraiya was chuckling and the sound of shifting weight could be heard. He must be lying back down and settling in. "But you'll find that out in time I guess. Better rest up kid, we'll be on our way tomorrow."

"Aww, your research didn't turn anything up?" Naruto mocked and Riri snickered as he curled himself around Naruto's waist. "How shocking."

A pillow came flying at him, well aimed and slightly backed with a shove of chakra. He snickered and heard Jiraiya huffing angrily.

"You mouthy little brat…."

* * *

The next day was early. Naruto woke to a sharp jab to his side and Jiraiya making a moving motion with his hands. He glanced outside, groaned and shoved himself up. The older man had never struck Naruto as an early type, seeing as all their meetings prior had been in the afternoons but as Jiraiya headed out the door he had this almost giddy lilt to his step.

"He's up to something." Naruto groaned and Riri yawned big beside him. "I just tell it…it's like he's happy about what he's about to do."

"Should we be wary?" Riri came to attention, the pointed ears going up and rigid, listening to the hallway.

"I dunno yet. Let's just see what he's doing first." Naruto slung his legs over the edge of the bed and began digging through his bags. "Whatever it is he's up to it better include breakfast."

He rushed through changing and rearranging his things. Once he felt comfortable with his job he slung the pack over his shoulder and retightened his kunai pouch. Luckily breakfast was involved and he scarfed down hungrily. The old man had said they would be off today so there was no telling when they would stop again.

"You're going to eat me out of all my money aren't you?"

"If you let me." Naruto grinned evilly. "Kakashi always said the same thing…till he learned to shove me off on Teuchi."

Jiraiya chuckled and went off to pay the woman at the front desk. Riri watched him intently and some of the shepherd's tension was back. He saw what Naruto saw, the happy little glint in the older man's eye and they could not be sure if he was happy to be on the road again or if he had something up his sleeve.

Still they followed him out into the streets and eventually back out into the open road. Naruto glanced behind him only momentarily this time before setting his sights ahead of them and back unto Jiraiya who was carrying a small bag with him that he did not previously had.

Things were quiet as the old man hummed to himself and smoked his pipe and Naruto and Riri followed along in wait. Once again Naruto found himself fidgeting under the silence and finally sighed and rolled his eyes.

"So tell me more about this woman we're supposed to find. All you've told me is her name and she's a beauty…"

"But if she's your teammate she's gotta be old." Riri was muttering under his breath. "Doesn't seem your type personally."

"Cute." Jiraiya huffed towards Ririshii and rummaged around in his red robes. "But that's Tsunade for you. She's in her fifties yes, but the rumor is she changes her appearance every so often to throw off any money lenders she's happened to have pissed off."

"Mo..Money Lenders?"

"Oh yeah, you know those vices I warned you about last night? Tsunade's a victim to the third one; Money. She's always liked to gamble you see…"

"And you three are considered the 'Legendary Three'." Naruto reached up to his nose and pinched.

"Correct, glad you paid attention in history class." Jiraiya reached over and pushed the side of his head, causing Naruto to go off the dirt path they were on. "Everyone has their vice, Naruto, everyone. Some can just ignore it and others just let it run away with them, and then there are those who turn to it in times of great grief. Tsunade always liked to gamble but she was horrible at it. She kept it in check until she lost any and all ties to the village and she left."

"So…wait…how come she was allowed to leave? Why isn't she listed as a missing nin?"

"That is most likely because of the Sandaime and then the Yondaime after him. It was their decision solely whether to hunt her down and force her back or have her listed in the bingo books." Jiraiya shrugged. "Despite being a talented ninja and medic she was also a descendent of the Senju Clan. I take it you know that clan?"

"Not entirely no…"

"You are hopeless." Jiraiya shook his head. "The First Hokage was a Senju…and Tsunade's grandfather. It is possible she has been allowed to move so freely from these three factors alone. Ah here we go…"

He presented Naruto with a picture of a blonde woman that looked in her twenties. "From all accounts this is probably how she is going to look. Pretty nice rack if you ask me…"

"Seriously…." Naruto stuck out his tongue and shook his head harshly. "So we're looking for her huh?"

"Yep, it isn't going to be easy but most places that have gambling houses or similar facilities would be a good place to start. The nickname she's garnered for herself over the years is the Legendary Sucker. She travels with her apprentice; poor girl's been drug along for so long now…"

Something in Jiraiya's statement struck Naruto and apparently Riri as well because the shepherd came to attention and they shared a look before glancing back up at Jiraiya. "Ummm what is her apprentice's name?"

"Huh? Oh Shizune. She was…."

"Shizune?" Both Naruto and Riri stopped and turned behind them.

"Yes..what's gotten into you two?"

"We met a woman yesterday with a little pink pig named Shizune. She wanted to talk to us because she missed Konoha." Naruto began headed back to the city they had just left in a sprint. "She complained that her master had a gambling problem!"

Suddenly Jiraiya seemed just as eager as he had been to return. Luckily they had not gotten far and just as they got into the city again Naruto began retracing his steps to the hill he had found Shizune and to the restaurant they had eaten at but the woman was nowhere. Jiraiya had split off at some point and Naruto could only assume the man knew where the gambling was going on.

Riri began sniffing the ground intently outside of the restaurant and then began to follow along slowly, nose to the ground tail low. "This way….TonTon."

Naruto let Ririshii lead the way and soon they found themselves outside a nice looking hotel. Riri's head came up and then glanced back at Naruto. "They came here."

"Good job Riri." Naruto patted his head and they both entered. At the desk a man was busily shuffling through papers and putting away keys and stacks of receipts. "Excuse me Mister."

"Hmm, yes? Can I help you?"

"Yeah we're looking for a friend of ours. She said she was staying here?"

"Oh?"

"Her name was Shizune, she had a pet pig? Maybe she was staying with a blonde woman?"

"Oh yes, those two." The man frowned. "They were out of here quite early this morning, while it was still dark. They seemed rather rushed."

"_Damn it." _Naruto grunted in his head and thanked the guy before going back out the door. "I wonder if that woman realized we were with Jiraiya?"

"Highly doubtful. Shizune wouldn't know who you are kid…they weren't in the village by that point." Jiraiya's familiar huff came from beside the door. "Guess that dog's worth something, you beat me here."

"Yeah well maybe if you were actually doing your job instead of 'research' you would have found her last night!" Naruto sprung back on the older man who frowned.

"Still not likely kid. She was already wearing out her welcome…." Jiraiya sighed and looked back to the roads. "Three likely places she would have gone by now… Parline to the west, Tanzaku to the south, or one of the border towns."

"That's more than three places; there are lots of border towns."

Jiraiya ignored him and began back at his sedate pace towards the exit. "Tanzaku…"

"What makes you so sure?"

"Biggest gambling town there is. She's looking to make her money back."

"Well then let's get a move on!" Naruto bounded up and pleaded with the older man. "If we move a little faster maybe we can get her before she gets there!"

"Patience."

Naruto resisted the urge to balk. What the hell was wrong with this guy? "Patience???"

"If we catch up to her, she knows we're after her. If we let her get to Tanzaku and relax a little…well then it was just a happy coincidence that we were here too."

"I don't get it."

"We don't want to spook her otherwise she'll bolt."

Naruto felt his shoulders sag and he shook his head. "Riri, we're surrounded by insane people… no one makes any damn…"

"Anyway, if we rush things I can't make things up to you."

"You can make things up by finding this lady so she can help Sasuke and Nii-san." Naruto growled back but was shocked to find a heavy balloon in his hand, the old pervert grinning again. "What the hell?"

"While we are on our little search we should be productive shouldn't we?"

"That's a joke right?" Riri growled but was ignored.

"I figure a little training while we're walking never hurt."

"What I'm going to do aim at you with water balloons and see if I can hit you?"

"Ha, no." Jiraiya held up a balloon of his own. "Just watch."

For a while nothing happened. Then the balloon became rigid and then burst. Naruto looked down at his and then back up. How in the world had the old man gotten the balloon to burst without touching it. It had spent the whole time resting in his hand.

"Don't get it?" Jiraiya beamed. "Okay then, let's try it without the balloon."

In his other palm a slow gathering of what appeared to be 'blue' as best Naruto could describe it began to form. It swirled and swirled until it formed a perfect little sphere. Naruto watched transfixed until Jiraiya dispelled it.

"It's a jutsu….with no hand signs."

"Correct. And the first step of learning this, is making the water in the balloon do what I just did." Jiraiya pointed to the balloon Naruto held then turned on his heel and began walking. "And keep up the pace there kiddo. If you're in such a hurry you'll have to master that in a week or two."

Naruto glared at the balloon and began working out in his head what the man had done. The ball was chakra that was clear. Kakashi did the same thing in the first stages of Chidori. You just built the chakra up and forced it out in a visible manner. But how was he making it stay inside of the balloon?

He took up walking at a rather slow pace, his whole attention on the balloon in his palm. It is a matter of focusing and making his chakra rotate the water inside of it the balloon. That was the trick in this step.

"How many steps are there?"

The question came out unbidden as he fingered the balloon. His eyes did not leave it and he did not look up to see if Jiraiya responded to the question, he just needed to know.

"Three."

"Oh." Naruto took that in and finally began experimenting. At first he tried to do what he had seen Kakashi do a few times already; make the chakra visible. That resulted in the balloon blowing up alright but not in the way Jiraiya's had. Another balloon flew at his head and he caught it and placed it in his palm again.

"_Okay then use the chakra to guide the water, not to explode the balloon…."_

In theory it would work except that once he finally found the right amount of chakra that would move the water it would not pop. The water moved and the rubber stretched and pulled in his hand but it did not pop.

The next time he looked up, maybe to bug the old man about what it was he was doing wrong they were strolling into an outpost. It was small and there were no busy streets full of people but they were stopping. He glanced behind him and found that darkness was setting again. _"Damn it." _

"We'll stop here for the night." Jiraiya was muttering and turning into a building. Naruto decided to ignore him and just went for the nearest bunch of trees he could find and knew Riri was right behind. There was no way he was sleeping till he figured this out.

He settled up in a tree, Riri at its base and glared at the balloon.

"What the hell am I doing wrong?"

"Yours is smooth when his was ragged, why?" Riri was whining and shaking his head. "It's an odd trick, and odd step, what does this lead too exactly?"

"Yeah maybe if we saw the finished product it would help." Naruto agreed with Riri. This was an odd training exercise to be undertaking. What kind of Jutsu did not have hand seals? Most that he knew of at least had ONE. "But something tells me he's not going to show us."

"Nope. Stingy or he's testing you."

"Or he's just an asshole."

"Also a possibility." Ririshii settled in beneath him. "What about this lady friend of his. Sounds like a real winner."

"Like I said before, bite me if I'm about to do something stupid!" Naruto barked down at the dog and then went back to his balloon. He tried and tried to get the ball to burst but it would just stretch out and become smooth. "UGH this is so damn frustrating!"

The moon came out and things quieted around them. And he was still sitting in a tree staring at a balloon. What the hell was he missing? Why in the world would it go bumpy if all the old man was doing was moving the water in the balloon?

"Wait…"

Naruto came up and pulled out his water container. He pulled out a small dish he had nicked from the old man just to see if it would piss him off and then poured the water in the dish. He began to swirl the water in the dish the same way he had been in the water balloon. The surface remained smooth. He stopped the dish and began to swirl it the other way before the water had a chance to settle.

"back and forth, back and forth, " Naruto muttered happily to himself then finally grinned. "That's it!!!"

He picked up the balloon he had set aside. He first did as he had been before, swirling the water counterclockwise. But after he had it going for a good while he switched to clockwise and then back again. Back and forth like this until finally the balloon began to morph and bulge and soon the cold water was splashing him in the face.

He grinned wickedly and looked down at Riri. "We need to get more balloons."

* * *

Sakura finally had a better understanding of people's aversion to hospitals and doctors as she walked the familiar hallways of the one in Konoha. Each day she decided to come and check on Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei but always found the same result.

It was so frustrating that no one seemed able to figure out how to wake either of them up. Weren't all these people medics? Did they not study all different types of Genjutsu and Ninjutsu and different ways to reverse or heal wounds made by each? It seemed so trivial and yet so complicated and each time she asked people merely shook their heads and she spent hours sitting with Sasuke.

She stopped in the door and frowned. Sasuke still lay in the clean white hospital bed, unmoving and unawares. She just stood there watching but finally caved in and closed the door and leaned up against the wooden wall outside. "_Why doesn't anyone just TRY to wake them up? Usually Genjutsu is dispelled when you disrupt the flow of chakra…or at least that's what that book says…what makes what Itachi did so different? " _

The whole ordeal still stung. She had done nothing while Sasuke flung himself at his older brother, while Kakashi-sensei tried to keep himself between them and the invaders, and while Naruto summoned a large frog to keep anyone from harming them further. She had sat there, useless. She had not even tried to stop or hinder their movements. She had let her teammates do everything and look at where that left her?

Her sensei and teammate were unconscious and her third teammate had left to find help. What was she doing exactly? Other than keeping watch, she was doing nothing. She had not done a thing to stop it and she was doing nothing to fix it. It was a terrible, terrible feeling of guilt and despair that was settling into her gut.

Sakura slid down the hallway, avoiding everyone till she found herself at Kakashi's door. Unlike Sasuke's room there was an occupant this time and she hid around the corner to watch. It was a woman in the traditional medic cream colored suits and she was leaning against the window frame watching Kakashi sleep. The woman did not seem to be checking anything in particular really just that she was just there watching…

"Honestly, you idiot, how many times do you have to end up in here before you stop doing stupid things?"

Sakura shrunk. Maybe the woman knew Kakashi, it was possible, none of them really knew that awful lot about their sensei. He was pretty quiet and reserved when it came to himself.

"Course I suppose the kids were involved… that's enough incentive for you isn't it?" The woman grinned a little and sighed. "I think I scared Naruto off. He's not been back since I told him to go take it easy. Figure it's better than them just hanging around here worrying…"

Sakura wondered if the woman knew Naruto had left the village. So far only Shikamaru and she really knew he had left with Jiraiya.

"Rin would be worried sick, you loser." The woman whispered and seemed to frown. Her voice became softer and she watched and waited to see if it garnered a response. Much like Sasuke it didn't and Kakashi slept on. "Course so am I…."

Sakura slowly tried to make a backwards step. The woman definitely knew Kakashi and she was probably eavesdropping on a private conversation, even if it was an only one way one.

"And so is your other student…"

Sakura froze and slowly looked up. The woman's head had come to the side and she was grinning sadly at Sakura. "I'm sorry…"

"No, it's alright. I was merely poking at the baka to see if I woke him up. Usually if I pester him enough he blows up but I guess this time I'll just have to wait and see." She pushed off from the window frame and stood near the doorway appraising her. "You must be Sakura."

"Yes…and you are?"

"Yoshida Kita but please call me Yoshi, a pleasure to meet the smart one." The woman flipped back her dark hair and smiled

"Oh no that's Sasuke." Sakura blushed and fiddled with her shirt.

"Is it now? Seems to me he's just as stupid as Kakashi here. He's laid up too isn't he?" Yoshi grinned and pointed to the wall in the direction Sasuke's room was. "Anyway, Kakashi claims you're the smart one."

"Really?" Sakura blinked over to her sensei, still asleep and unaware. "You really have to be confusing us…"

"Nope, there's a difference between smart and genius. Genius," Yoshi jabbed her thumb over to Kakashi. "runs in and does stupid things and thinks about it later. Smart ones stop to think before they jump."

"I think too much then." Sakura turned away. "I didn't do anything. Even Naruto tried to stop them when he's the one they were after…I just stood there like some kind of coward…"

Yoshi took a few more steps towards her and Sakura jumped when the woman's hands placed themselves on her shoulders. She glanced up at the dark eyed woman and again she smiled at Sakura. "Sweetheart, that's only because you haven't found your strength yet. Once you find what you're good at, something tells me you'll leave the boys in the dust."

Yoshi gave a reassuring pat and then was walking out the door. "Oh and when you see that knuckleheaded teammate of yours, tell him he's an idiot too I didn't mean to chase him off for more than a day!"

Before Sakura could tell her Naruto was gone to find help the woman was back to her work and quickly out of sight. Sakura cocked her head to the side and frowned. Whoever she was she was quick and to the point. She glanced over to Kakashi.

"You know some strange people Sensei." She whispered and came over to sit beside the older man's bedside. She did not feel like sitting with Sasuke today and Naruto was gone. Ino would be too worried about Sasuke and would only talk about him if she stopped by the flower shop. Her mother was too worked up about the events and would only try to keep convincing her to give up being a kunochi.

"_She said because I haven't found my strength yet…what the hell is it then? How do I find out what I'm good at?" _Sakura straightened the hem of her shirt and watched the clouds go by outside. "_So far the only thing I'm good at is controlling my chakra…"_

And then it struck her. She could be useful! She stood quickly and began darting down the hallway. She knew she was not supposed to run but she had to find the woman. She kept up till finally she saw her again, near the desk up front and came to a halt behind her. "Excuse me Yoshida-san?"

"Oh for the love of…." The woman was whirling around. "Oh, Sakura, sorry. I just don't like it when people call me that. What can I do for you? Has something changed?"

"No, sorry, I just have a favor to ask of you!" Sakura pulled on her hand till they were down a little corridor away from the busy front desk. "You said I hadn't found my strength yet. Well I know the only thing I'm good at is chakra control…"

"Honey, you are asking the wrong person about these types of things…I'm just a doctor…."

"That's just it! Don't medi-nin's need to have really precise chakra control?"

"Well I guess." Yoshi began to scratch at her head and looking around. "I'm what they call a 'moonlighter' Sakura. I was trained up as a civilian doctor, not a medical ninja. I only started learning a lot of this chakra-based healing stuff when I was fifteen and sixteen when my friend from school kept hounding me about it. They keep me around to help with the civilians that come in here and when they need something herbal or made like pills and such."

Sakura began to deflate a little. She was asking the wrong person….

"But…I tell you what; my friend Tal is pretty good with this stuff. He can probably at least get you started if you're serious about this…"

Sakura grinned. "I am."

"Okay then…" Yoshi sighed and looked around the corner to a large clock on the wall. "Boy your sensei is really going to owe me when he gets out of this coma."

* * *

**Author Note x2: **Yeah slightly shorter than usual. Next chapter much better I promise…I just gotta get pieces into play. Yeah I had him figuring out the water balloon a little faster…yeah only one day in the city… eh...you'll see how it goes :D I promise next one is better..it's these damn transitional ones that are biting me in the ass right now. You ever been at a point where you want to BE there soooo bad but you have to get there first? OMG I'm there right now….plus we're in a good place in the manga right now. ZOMG Kakashi you son of a bitch they already brought you back from the dead once…Naruto better get his ass there…or Kakashi better beat Sasuke into the cement….cause I can't take him dying again…. Okay that's it for spoilers XD away I go to indulge the scrap that wants to be out but can't be yet!


	24. Betting Against all Odds

**The Fox and the Hound**

**Chapter 18: **Betting Against the Odds

**Chapter Summary: **What qualities does it take to become Hokage? Is it merely strength and power…or is it something more…whatever it is Naruto is fairly certain it is not the woman Jiraiya has described.

**Author Note: **The closer it gets the more anxious I get for the 'reveal'. Well several reveals I guess and it's just driving me insane. Granted it is lighting a fire under my ass so all in all it's a good thing. Mwhahahah onward to fun and games!

* * *

Jiraiya took a look behind him to the walking enigma that he had drug along on this particular excursion. In reality it had been part curiosity and part guilt that had him seeking out Naruto again when he knew the boy was not going to trust him again without proof but he just had to see what it was exactly the boy was capable of. Sure he saw a good deal of what Naruto was capable of during the Chuunin Exams, how quick the boy was to adapt to situations he would find himself in but where they were now struck Jiraiya as odd.

Naruto had finished, in a day he might add, the first step of the Rasengan training. It was something Jiraiya had been unprepared for. Hell it had taken the jutsu's creator three years to master the damn thing in the stage the jutsu was in. Jiraiya had not shown Naruto anything more than the first step and the boy had taken the task like a dog with a bone. And he had completed the first step with no reference as to its point.

By the time the curiosity had gotten the better of Jiraiya that evening, when blonde and dog had not returned by late evening/early morning; whatever the hell one called it, he had found blonde in a tree, the dog at its base. In each hand Naruto had a water balloon and subsequently was popping them in an odd order.

When he had prompted the kid, Naruto had merely stated he was trying to figure out which hand he was better at doing the trick with…and was trying to speed up the process in which he got the balloon to pop. Jiraiya had been dumbstruck by the sheer ingenious of the training and the sheer speed in which he had gotten to the point.

Ririshii walked beside the boy now as they continued on their trek towards Tanzaku Town. Honestly he was taking the long way towards the city but it was merely to give Tsunade a head start and to get comfortable in her surroundings. If he just showed up right after she arrived then she was going to bring a great deal of bodily harm onto his person and then turn tail and run and probably change her appearance again.

Naruto was completely focused on a white rubber ball now. It was clasped in his left hand, the one he seemed to favor with the water balloons, and those dark blue orbs were boring holes into the side of the object.

The second step was a completely different exercise. The first step was about direction; and getting your chakra to go in many different directions. If you spun the water in the balloon in only one direction it would not pop but start sloshing the water and soon it would burst from the strain. The second step was about raw power. The rubber balloon was only filled with air and the only way to make it 'pop' so to speak was to expand your chakra to the point it would finally snap. The rotation would do nothing to the air other than spin it in place inside the ball.

This was where Naruto was stuck at this present moment as they walked along in dapple sunlight in a covered roadway out in the unoccupied areas of Fire. It was fascinating to watch the gears winding behind those expressive blue eyes as he tried to apply what he figured was a progression of step one. In actuality it was learn step one, learn step two, then combine the two of them as step three. So far Naruto had not realized that.

And for some reason Jiraiya was not ready to give him that nudge just yet. He wanted to see if Naruto got it on his own. Three days was not going to hurt the kid too much and sooner or later something would click or the kid would ask for the help. Jiraiya had to admit even showing him these things were twofold. Yes they had to get him up to speed. He had to learn to defend himself against someone much stronger than himself. The other reason was distraction. Naruto was hasty to find Tsunade and return her to Konoha merely to help Kakashi and his teammate. At least with this training he had subsided on that particular point and had let it drop.

"Oi, Pervy Sage."

Jiraiya grimaced and glared back at the boy. Somewhere in the course of three days Naruto had begun calling him this particular name and it irked him a little. Naruto and that mutt of his had been taking cheap shots at him since they left Konoha, not that they were not undeserved, but once they had come up with this particular nickname he had begun to try to stamp it out.

Then again the nickname belied that the kid was getting used to him. It almost sounded like a term of endearment but he knew he was nowhere close to being close to Naruto, he was just letting him know he was _used_ to him now.

"I told you not to call me that."

"Whatever…quick question."

"You have a lot of those."

"What exactly is the finished result of this?" Naruto was glancing back down at the ball, refusing to acknowledge the comment. "I mean what do these steps work up to?"

Jiraiya sighed heavily and stopped walking. Naruto and Riri stopped instinctively as well and both watched intently for the reply. He supposed it was only a matter of time before Naruto asked what the finished result was.

"Well I guess you need a reference point?" He folded his arms and frowned.

"It might help to know what these steps lead up to. They seem kinda unrelated at this point."

Jiraiya quirked an eyebrow. So he HAD figured out the steps were not progressions. So what was stopping him from popping the rubber ball?

"Very well then." He caved and held up his right hand and produced what he did when he first presented the boy with the water balloons. "You've seen Kakashi's Chidori correct?"

"Yeah a few times." Naruto shrugged and looked down to Riri. "What's that got…"

"Do you know what type of jutsu that is, what it is he's actually doing?"

"Nature manipulation…."

"Part of it is nature manipulation, very good." Jiraiya smirked a bit. So the kid knew the latter steps but not the starter steps. "But there is another manipulation going on, shape. He's forcing his chakra to take a shape and then applying his natural element to it."

"Okay…." Naruto's eyes squinted and Jiraiya began to speed up the process till the ball was a tightly wound ball of chakra in his palm. It was perfectly spherical and the faster he rotated the chakra and the more he compressed more chakra into the tight little ball the wider Naruto's eyes got.

"The Rasengan takes Shape Manipulation to its finest point. You see the difference between this and Chidori don't you?"

"Yeah Chidori is ragged, that's smooth." Naruto looked to the ball in his hand then back up to the jutsu Jiraiya had in his hand. Jiraiya chuckled and slammed the ball into the nearest thick tree he could find and stepped back slowly to allow Naruto to see the small hole it created. "It doesn't do much…"

"Look on the other side of the tree." Jiraiya instructed and both dog and boy did as they were told.

"Shit…" Naruto whispered out and then peered around the tree to Jiraiya.

"The more spin and power you put into it the more damage it can do…but it is precise." Jiraiya grinned. "This is an A-Rank Jutsu...."

"Did you make this one?" Naruto was coming back out, eyes again glued to the rubber ball and trying whatever the demonstration had accomplished for him. "And is the third step nature manipulation…cause…"

"Heh, getting ahead of yourself a bit aren't you?" He let the boy get a little past him and playfully slapped him in the back of the head. "It's been three days and you haven't popped that yet." He pointed to the ball in question. "No, I did not make this jutsu; it was actually the Fourth's. And no there is no nature manipulation involved in this jutsu. The fact that you take your shape manipulation to such a level makes it an already deadly weapon."

That silenced the boy for a while and he went back to his ball. Jiraiya wondered idly if he ignored half the things he said or if it was locked away somewhere for later use. After his talk with Kakashi he pondered at length if the boy knew his own lineage already or if he was just blind to the fact all together. And despite knowing the reasons behind the use of Kushina's name and never telling the boy anything, he found himself gently prodding the boy. Granted it would probably be a hard pill to swallow, after the revelation of the demon fox's sealing, but something about denying him this information seemed wrong. What kid did not wonder where they came from?

He pulled out his pipe and lit it. Kakashi would be absolutely miffed, not that he would show it openly, but Jiraiya knew it was Kakashi's place to tell the boy and so he only kept giving Naruto little clues here and there. Sooner or later the clues would add up to a point that he would have to ask someone and more than likely that person would be his 'guardian'.

"You think Kakashi knows this thing?"

Jiraiya glanced back. Naruto's focus had yet to change but he seemed to be in a more talkative mood all the sudden.

"More than likely he does. He had that Sharingan by the time the Fourth completed the Rasengan, and I'm sure Minato wanted to show it off."

"I've never seen him use it."

"And I highly doubt he would have." Jiraiya huffed and shook his head. "Boy had his boundaries and that was his Sensei's jutsu."

"They were close then?"

Jiraiya sighed heavily and wondered if maybe he should cut over to the main roads to speed up the trip. Naruto had one of two states; completely quiet and serious or completely curious and talkative.

"I would like to think so. Minato bragged about him enough and the kid stayed with him for a while after his father died."

"Oh so that's where he went." Naruto seemed to mumble and switched the ball to his other hand. Jiraiya paid close attention to the switch. After the ball was moved he caught the boy flexing his fingers and left hand in a way that seemed it was sore or tingling at least. So he was catching on. "I wondered what happened to him after that."

"Didn't tell you huh?"

"I didn't ask." Naruto frowned as he started in on the other palm. "Seemed like a sore subject."

Jiraiya snorted a bit and shook his head. That was an understatement. Still it was one of those little traits he had picked up on in the short amount of time he had been with the kid the month previous and these past few days. He was almost empathic.

No he did not believe in all that mumbo jumbo stuff but the boy had a sense about him that just told him when people were in certain moods. He apparently had gotten so good at reading body language that it was reflex to him. It was probably the reason Shizune had opened up so easily to the blonde boy when they had met in the small city they were in beforehand. Naruto had told him how Riri had found the woman but the fact that Naruto had stayed was partly because he read the visual cues that she was upset and needed someone to talk to. He instinctively knew she was not a threat.

It was probably the other reason Naruto had come along on this trip. The first was his bribing him with someone who could help Kakashi and Sasuke, the second was all Jiraiya's visual cues were those of repentance.

"You must be a damn good eye to know something bothers that kid…" Jiraiya chuckled and looked around them. If he was right they were nearing another big settlement, not Tanzaku but somewhere they could stop for a few days and rest and Naruto could get his training caught up.

"You keep calling him a kid…" Naruto huffed. "Why?"

"Cause that's what he is…a brat just like you." Jiraiya poked back. Honestly most of the time he still had called Minato a 'kid' despite him being 'Hokage' and Minato had just grinned. Maybe he just considered them 'his' kids and that's why he kept calling them that. But something about Naruto's question clicked and he glanced back. "You have any idea how old he is, how old I am?"

"Who Kakashi?" Naruto frowned. "I can guess you're ancient."

"Yeah…Kakashi." Jiraiya laughed. Oh so that was it. Kakashi was a bit tight lipped. And at what point would there be to telling Naruto his age? "And I'm not ancient…"

"You have white hair I think that makes you ancient."

"My hair's always been white you little brat." Jiraiya frowned. "So guess how old do you think I am?"

"Sixty at least…"

"Hmph…try ten years younger brat." Jiraiya let Naruto catch up a bit and glanced down. "And how old is Kakashi?"

"I dunno in his thirties?" Naruto shrugged. "I never really asked."

"Heh, oh that's good." Jiraiya bent down and grinned madly. "How old were you when Kakashi found you?"

"Four."

"Hmmmm." Jiraiya tapped on his chin as he straightened, doing the math in his head. "That would have made him eighteen at the time."

"Ei…eighteen?" Naruto faltered a bit and finally his focus came off the ball to Jiraiya. "He was in ANBU though; he had to be older…."

"Yes, eighteen, and no he was the youngest to be inducted into the ANBU Black Ops, if I remember correctly. He was fourteen when that happened."

Naruto got this incredulous look on his face and he seemed to be having some unspoken conversation with his dog because they just stared back at one another for a while. Jiraiya grinned to himself and saw the smallest start of the village they were coming up on. Kakashi said it best when he said distraction worked best with Naruto and maybe that was originally Naruto's plan when he had started talking…to distract himself.

"So for the record you're all kids to me." He laughed as Naruto frowned up at him. "And no matter how old you all get that's all you'll be."

Naruto seemed to agree with this assessment and went back to his training. As they neared the village Jiraiya found a suitable hotel to stay in and made mental notes of several places that looked good for digging up information. In all honesty Tanzaku was the most likely place Tsunade would go but at the same time there was a chance she had gone elsewhere to lay low. He would still go to Tanzaku of course but along the way he hoped to catch wind of her passing or being somewhere else.

"Okay Kid, I'm going to go do some digging…." Jiraiya positioned his own bags near a bed and turned towards Naruto only to find Riri sitting there, ears slightly back and chocolate brown eyes narrowed.

"Research...not digging…research." Riri proclaimed and stood to shake out his fur coat.

"You two just think you're so clever." Jiraiya smirked back evilly. "So he's gone off by himself again, that's good, I suppose, I prefer to be a hands off type of teacher. What are you sitting here for?"

"I don't have hands…"

"No really?" Jiraiya crossed his arms and frowned. What the hell was the mutt getting at? "And you want me to fix this???"

"No." Riri barked and then seemed to hunker down a bit. "Useless…I'm useless…"

Jiraiya balked. The dog was whimpering to him now. He had noticed whenever the dog got nervous or confused his speech would become a little simpler but so far he had only seen that once when Riri was trying to convince Naruto to not go with him. But the simple speech got its point across rather clearly.

"I cannot learn weapons…I cannot do more than bite and claw…and track…" Riri sat down and lowered his head a bit. "Chakra but no use for it....I don't want anything to happen to him…because I was useless…"

Jiraiya loosened his arms and just stared at the dog. At first he believed the animal to only be a pet…but that had changed when he saw the tricks Ririshii knew and of course the talking. He also was sure the German shepherd would never look at him without snarling again but slowly the dog had eased up on his vigilance and now he was in a way asking for help.

"Hmm that is a tricky problem you have there." Jiraiya agreed with the animal, but had no answers for the underlying question. "What makes you think I would know something you could do?"

"You are a Sannin aren't you?" Riri cocked his head to the side and gave him a knowing look. "One of three with great power, or that's how I understand it."

"Yes but dealing with animals and summons is completely different from humans." Jiraiya snorted but then smiled wickedly. That was the issue at hand here. Riri was not just some run-of-the-mill dog; he was not even the same as the Inuzuka. He was somewhere between a summons and a familiar and no one would really know how to handle something like that.

But a summons might.

"Go find that owner of yours. Tell him I want him to try something…Kakashi said that he had him sign a contract with Pakkun is that correct?"

"I believe so…but it did not work…"

"Because the kid was in a situation wasn't he?"

"I suppose so…" Riri cocked his head to the side and considered the old man's words. "But how will Pakkun…"

"Trust me that pug knows what he's doing. If you want to help the kid out perhaps the two of you can come up with some tricks that play to your size." Jiraiya flipped the shepherd between his eyes and watched as the dog bared his teeth only half-heartedly.

"But there's no guarantee that Naruto can summon Pakkun…he might get another dog…."

"I trust the kid. Something tells me I know what happened the last time and he never tried after that."

Riri huffed a little in annoyance but soon was out the window and out towards wherever Naruto had decided to stash himself this time. Sure it was a long shot, Naruto failed to summon Pakkun before and it had been many years since he attempted it…but something just told him he still had the scroll Kakashi gave him and on his person.

And something told him this time, the kid was going to succeed in summoning the little pug of Kakashi's.

* * *

Naruto watched the shepherd with a mix of pure shock and pure curiosity. "Why exactly does he want me to try to summon Pakkun?"

Ririshii shrunk a little and tucked his tail behind him. After a while the dog had finally followed him outside the village to the tree line. At first he had assumed that Riri just needed a few minutes to grab food, find water, something but when he finally loped into view the dog looked guilty…ashamed.

"Because…I…what am I to learn while we are gone? I don't have anyone to teach me…."

"Teach you what though?" Naruto shook his head. "I thought you were doing pretty good…"

"I want to do more than track!" Riri barked suddenly and was up on his haunches. "I want to fight. I want to protect you…"

Naruto let the little white ball drop from his hands and leaned up on his hands to stare directly into the dog's eyes. The chocolate orbs were piercing and the expression was pure want. Riri wanted this not Jiraiya, Jiraiya had just come up with a means for the dog. "Riri…you…"

"Please…master…" Riri nudged his way up under Naruto's chin whimpering as he did. Naruto wrapped his arms around the dog's neck and hugged for a moment before turning to his scroll pouch and began digging. "Thank you…"

"I guess it doesn't hurt for you to know more either." Naruto grinned happily as he finally found the small scroll with the small contract Kakashi had given him. "Maybe Pakkun would like to know about Kakashi too."

Still he felt nerves chewing at his gut. The last time he had tried this he had completely screwed up, but in a good way. What if he was not physically able to call Pakkun because of the Toads? He hated to think he had wormed his way out of the dog's favor as of late.

He reread the instructions and silently bit into his thumb, just like Kakashi normally did. "Well here's hoping this works this time Riri."

Riri barked as Naruto flew through the hand signs and then proceeded to use an opposite hand, his right hand was starting to hurt like a bitch and he was unsure why. Still there was a reaction and soon he was grinning at the small blue coat of a familiar pug.

"Kakashi, this had better be good...I was enjoying a rather…." Pakkun was growling and turning around to face him but as soon as he met eyes with him Pakkun stopped and looked around. "Naruto-kun?"

"Heya Pakkun!!" Naruto grinned scooted up in the cool grass to sit before Pakkun. It had finally worked years later! Finally he could summon the little pug just like his Nii-san.

"Where's Kakashi?" Pakkun stood and began to glance around worriedly. His little nose began working the breeze and soon he was just left with Naruto and Ririshii again. "Runt did you summon me?"

"Yeah, sorry about that Pakkun really I am." Naruto reached out to pet the pug. "Kakashi's in Konoha…he…he's kinda hurt."

"Hurt? By what?"

"Sasuke's brother." Naruto frowned. "These guys showed up, they were after me…"

Pakkun climbed up into Naruto's lap and licked at his chin. "It's alright, he was doing his job. But you said he was back in Konoha? Where are we?"

"With Jiraiya…I dunno if you know who he is?"

"Yes, I have met him once." Pakkun grunted. "And where is he taking you exactly?"

"We're trying to find some lady named Tsunade."

"Ah, yes Lady Tsunade." Pakkun nodded and nosed Riri momentarily before returning his attention to Naruto. "She is an excellent medic ninja from what I've heard. Is that why you are with him? Is Kakashi hurt that badly?"

"He wouldn't wake up…" Naruto whispered and looked out to the roads. "Itachi hit him with some Genjutsu and no matter what anyone was doing he wasn't snapping out of it. I had to come Pakkun. What if she doesn't want to come back to be Hokage? Maybe she'll at least come back to heal Kakashi and Sasuke."

"Hmph. Sasuke went at him did he?"

"Yeah, he was really ticked off." Naruto let Pakkun go. "But it's already happened so can't change it now."

Pakkun nodded and hopped off Naruto's lap and sat obediently in front of him. "What did you need me for Naruto?"

Naruto took note that Pakkun did not add 'kun' on the end of his name that time. Maybe because he finally summoned him perhaps that made him the boss for right now but he doubted it. "Well it's more Riri that needs you than I do."

Ririshii came up and lay in front of Pakkun. "I need to learn. Teach me Pakkun. Teach me to be useful, so I can protect him…"

"Riri…" Naruto muttered. He hated to think that something would happen to Ririshii if the dog was truly so dedicated to protecting him but then again he felt the same way. So maybe they just needed to get stronger together so they could protect each other equally.

"Hmph. About time you started respecting your elders." Pakkun walked over and put his nose against Ririshii's. "I won't be easy on you, mutt. But I'm sure that there are some techniques of Bull's and Uhei's you can adapt for yourself."

"Really!" Riri sat up wagging his tail, still towering over the small pug. Pakkun sighed and shook his head. "Thank you Pakkun!"

"Yeah thanks Pakkun."

"Hmmm, I suppose I can't really refuse you. You are part of our pack after all." Pakkun snuffed and turned his head to Naruto. "I can stay for a few hours each day. Then you'll have to summon me for the next day. Hopefully Jiraiya-sama will be stationary for a few days."

"Oh I bet on it." Naruto snickered.

"Yeah, pervert found a bathhouse right next to a bar." Riri was shaking his head sadly. "I think we're here for a few days at the least."

Pakkun sighed as if he understood completely what they were talking about but without warning he snapped out and nipped Riri in his front leg. Riri came up quickly, dancing away from the pug. "Move it mutt. Are you alright by yourself Naruto?"

"Yeah I don't think they followed us," Naruto looked around and picked back up the white rubber ball. "Anyway I got my own training to do."

"Very well." Pakkun muttered and turned back on Riri. "Let's go Riri. We need a nice big run of land."

"Think we passed one a few miles back." Riri turned his head and sniffed the wind. Pakkun responded by jumping up on the shepherd's back and laying down before Riri started trotting off for whatever place he had in mind.

Naruto grinned. He hated to tell Pakkun that Kakashi was hurt but he was happy with himself for finally summoning the pug after all these years. After he accidentally got Ririshii he just never tried after that and he felt like he was betraying Pakkun.

Too bad he was not having as much success with the white rubber ball. He understood only after a few days that rotation was NOT going to pop the rubber balloon. So then what was left? He tried expanding the rubber ball, he tried rotation in only one or the other direction, but nothing seemed to work. So he finally asked to see the result.

And what a result! The swirling ball of chakra had mesmerized him momentarily. Spin defiantly played a key point in the jutsu but that was not the whole of it. The spin was what kept it contained in a spherical shape.

That only left POWER, to add. The sad thing was that even that was not getting a reaction from the ball. He dutifully went back to the rubber ball in his right hand and began just pumping chakra to his hand. Granted that probably was where he was having the issue because Jiraiya's ball had been clearly visible. It was making his chakra VISIBLE that was becoming the barrier now.

He could not see it because of the ball but the whole point was to find the point where his chakra would force the ball to pop; explode.

"_Guess it wouldn't be an A-Rank if it wasn't harder than hell to learn." _Naruto frowned as he just kept feeding chakra and every so often trying to force it to pop the balloon. Just like all the other times before the ball stretched a little but did nothing more than sit in his hand.

But he was not giving this up. Jiraiya, for whatever reason, seemed to have it in his head that he was the Fourth. He had already said he looked like the man and now, after some careful questions, Naruto learned he was learning one of the Fourth's techniques. Maybe the old man really wanted to make up to Naruto for pushing him off a cliff or he looked so much like the Fourth Hokage that the man had a hard time keeping them apart.

Either was fine at this point. Sure he knew the pervert was probably happily occupied in the town they had stopped in and more than likely he was cavorting with some woman who was probably thanking her lucky stars. But that worked for him. He liked the time to sit and figure stuff out on his own and Jiraiya more than accommodated him for this. They LIKED being on their own.

Or at least that was what he thought.

Nine days later he found himself cursing a blue streak as he carefully gripped the door of the hotel room and used his other hand to help turn the knob. He winced as the handle finally gave and granted him access and he wished he had left a window open so he could have just jumped in.

He walked over to the window and did his best to open the object enough that Riri could wriggle his way in when he was exhausted from his training with Pakkun and slumped beneath it. Any little action caused his arms to burn with a thousand tiny needles. He carefully placed his hands in his lap and glared at them.

He was getting so close. He finally had tossed the damn rubber ball and just focused on making his chakra visible in his palm like Kakashi did with his Chidori. After a few days it finally worked but he began to realize a cost. The more he tried to push it the more his wrists would throb and burn to the point he had to quit. He could not even grip chopsticks properly anymore because his hands were so burned out.

And he had yet to get the rubber ball to burst. He had made it spring a leak but he had not made it pop like Jiraiya had. Once he had his chakra to a visible state he replaced the ball. Now it was finding the power needed, not just how to force it to visible, how to make it do what he wanted.

The only problem was it hurt like a bitch.

"_Where the hell is that perv? Maybe I'm doing something wrong and that's why it hurts like this?" _Naruto growled to himself as he got standing again and went to the wash room. The only thing that seemed to make the burning ease a bit was to get as many washcloths as he could doused in ice cold water and then wrap them around his hands.

Today he did not even bother with the wrapping. Naruto draped them over his arms and just flumped into the one bed. Jiraiya had for all intents purposes disappeared the first day they arrived in this small town. From his own digging with restaurant owners Tanzaku town was only a few hours west from where they were. Naruto could only fathom why they were staying here so long.

They were so close to Tsunade but Jiraiya was too busy doting on the women of the local bars and establishments to care. He really did doubt the man had any real set goal in mind. And after summoning Pakkun each day Naruto found himself alone to focus on the second step of his training.

He blinked at the ceiling, missing the littered papers and pictures he had tacked on his own bedroom ceiling, and winced as his arm throbbed harshly. "Damn it…"

Naruto had to admit now that he, Jiraiya and Ririshii had found separate things to occupy themselves with he had found he was alone for much longer stretches of time than he was used to. Back home if Kakashi had a particularly long mission Naruto had other avenues to pursue; Shikamaru and Choji, Iruka, or the old man…but here. There was nothing. It was he and a tree most days and a week and a half later it was now starting to get to him.

He was homesick and lonely, two things he never really had experienced before and though he knew Jiraiya would do nothing about either, just being near another human being would be comforting. Hell just being near Riri would feel better but the shepherd had thrown himself into his training with Pakkun and from what state he was in when he finally came back to the room, Ririshii was also hitting the brick wall.

A whimper caused Naruto to open his eyes, not realizing he had drifted off and he blinked hazily at Ririshii. "Hey Riri, you're back ear…" then he took a note of the darkness outside. "Oh guess not. You okay?"

"Yes, Pakkun is tough." Riri sat down heavily at his side and glanced at the empty bed nearby. "You okay? Hands are hurt?"

"Yeah, finally figured out what the step was and though I've been doing it to a point it really, really, hurts." Naruto hissed as he sat up and took off the warmed washcloths. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and tossed the damp cloths in the sink. "You hungry? I'm starving…."

Riri wagged his tail a little and came to follow him out of the door. He felt somewhat guilty about making Riri go out just as he had come back in but he was starving and he was craving company. He had gotten somewhat close to the lady downstairs who served food in the hotel and he knew she would come out and give him something to eat.

He quietly padded down the stairs and sat a corner table. As predicted Suzi came out and smiled sadly at him before sitting down across from him.

"You alright kid? You look like your sick or something?" She reached out across the table to touch his forehead but he backed away warily and smiled.

"Nah I'm fine. Just tired that's all. Been working hard."

"Yeah we've noticed. So hungry? I think we have some left over rolls and soup…"

"That'd be great Suzi…"

She stood and smiled at him again, this time trapping him and ruffling his hair before going off to the kitchen somewhere behind heavy wooden doors. Riri lay at his feet and he felt the hot breath of the dog coming in steady puffs on his bare feet. The dog was snoozing lightly beneath him.

"Training's for the birds Riri." Naruto leaned on the table and rested his head on his arms. "We're taking a day off tomorrow."

"Agreed."

Suzi returned with a steaming bowl of soup and little snacks arranged around the plate. Naruto grinned and ate as quickly as he could. His hands were still tingling oddly and though he was able to hold onto the spoon well enough he wanted to be back upstairs with another set of cold cloths on his arms.

The woman leaned down and placed a bowl of meat diced up in front of Riri and patted him on the head fondly. Unless necessary they had been pretending Riri was just his pet. At least it helped them keep a slightly lower profile than Jiraiya was probably dredging up.

After eating, despite the urge to go back to sleep, he found himself strolling out into the slightly busy streets and looking at the lights of the night time establishments. It was an odd sort of out of body experience for a while till he finally found where Jiraiya had been holing up. There were a couple of girls sitting on his lap as he laughed loudly and ordered more drinks for them all. Naruto stopped and just stared through the open window and shook his head.

"He has no shame." Riri was snorting and coming to a sit beside Naruto.

"No kidding." Naruto finally broke the gaze and began stalking back towards the tree. Now he was just worked up and sick of screwing around. Forget the ball and forget popping it. He had seen the finished product and he was sick and tired of waiting around. "You can go back Riri, I'm on to something, I'll be back in a bit."

Riri just kept on following him, which was fine with Naruto. He found the tree he had been using as a prop for most of the time here and just began gathering his chakra and forcing it to rotate like he had with the water balloon. After a while it did seem to take the shape of a sphere and he thrust it into the tree while growling.

"_Kakashi and Sasuke are hurt and they need this lady and he's dicking around with women at a bar. He's not even really training me I'm training myself. Why the hell did I follow along on this?" _

Naruto stared at where his palm came to rest on the tree. There was no indent and no hole like when Jiraiya had done it but there was a spectacular spiral pattern on it. He cocked his head to the side and sighed. He had not really expected it to work but he felt a little deflated on it.

"Close." Riri was wagging his tail eagerly. "Try again!"

Suddenly happy the dog was with him he began again and did try again. The spirals got deeper but they did get closer to the center. Naruto grinned. So it was a matter of getting the rotation down and the power up. He could deal with that. Screw the rubber ball.

He kept up his new step for another few hours before the pain flared instantly on his last strike and he hit his knees hard. "Sunava…."

"Naruto!" Riri was up beside him instantly sniffing at his hand and licking at his palm. "Too far?"

"Yeah I think so." Naruto winced as the pain intensified. "I think I pushed it too far."

His vision swam a bit and he groaned. Yep, he had defiantly had pushed it too far. But he grinned at the spiral patterns on the tree in front of him. He was grasping it. He was getting closer and closer to figuring out the right mix of both rotation and power…

"Walk…" Riri tugged on his sleeve a little bit but Naruto just decided to lay in the grass and stare up at the starting rising sun.

"Eh we can sleep here Riri. No one's bothered us, and we're both tired." Naruto pulled on the dog feebly with his shaking hand and the dog lay across his chest, his tail hitting his hands. "It's okay boy…"

He did not even really realize he was falling asleep but soon things were just nice hazy nothingness. But dreams were nothing but torturous things and Naruto was soon sure he was dreaming but it did not make the scene any less disturbing or frightening.

"_What took you so long?" Sakura came flying up at him, her fists pounding into his chest. "It's all your fault! Sasuke's dead…what took you so long? Why didn't you come home? Why….."_

"_I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" was all he could mumble as he numbly moved through the hallways of the hospital and he tried in vain to find Kakashi but could not. He searched around and finally found Yoshi working in another room but the woman flat our refused to look at him or acknowledge him. "Not him too…not him too…"_

"_It's all your fault…you could have found her the first day! Why didn't you run faster? Why did you let her get away…now they're dead…" Sakura was sobbing by another room. How did she know what had happened…_

_A dream…it's a dream…_

"_She's right it's all your fault..." Yoshi's familiar voice accompanied Sakura and he felt a hand wrap around his shoulder, swinging him around to face her finally....she was so protective…why …_

"Hey relax."

Naruto shot up and found himself face to face with red fabric. He pushed away harshly and tried to get away from whatever it was but found himself pressed back against a wall.

"Just calm down." Again the hand touched his shoulder but this time it just rested there, it did not grab like before and Naruto relaxed and glanced at it. It was Jiraiya. He glanced up sheepishly at the older man who was sitting on the edge of his bed back in the hotel room. How the hell did he end up back here?

"You a little more awake now kid?" Jiraiya was standing and walking over to the end table and picking up a glass of water and holding it out for him. "So you and Kakashi have another interesting habit you both share…you like running yourselves into the ground."

Naruto quickly took the glass and gulped it, his throat feeling like cotton balls had been shoved down there. With his head a little clearer he could see Riri sitting at the very end of the bed watching with head sideways and a steady whimper.

"Yeah so?" Naruto finally ground out and carefully placed the glass back on the table as he scooted up on the bed a little to be closer to Ririshii.

Jiraiya was quiet for a little bit before crossing his arms and standing just to the other side of the bed. "Didn't it occur to you to ask before trying that stunt huh? If it weren't for that dog of yours you'd be out in the rain right now freezing…"

Naruto glanced at the window and sure enough it was pouring. Apparently that was why Riri had at first insisted that he get up and walk. He sighed and patted Riri on the head and was shocked to find the dog was dry, not wet. "How long ago did it start raining?"

"Early yesterday morning. Nice little storm system they got going through here right now." Jiraiya huffed. He almost sounded annoyed. Naruto glanced up at him again and caught the older man's worried gaze before Jiraiya turned to position himself on his bed. "Honestly, how is exhausting yourself doing you any good?"

"Figured it was worth a shot to try a theory." Naruto huffed back. What did he care? Riri lay down but for once he was not glancing sideways at Jiraiya. Naruto would later have to ask the dog what happened.

"Yes I noticed the lovely spirals you were carving into that poor tree." Jiraiya was tugging on his bags and pulling out his ever present pipe. "I guess that's my own fault for showing you the completed jutsu but then again I thought you were smarter than to go wasting chakra like that."

"I wasn't wasting it!" Naruto got up on his feet on the bed, pointing wildly at the old man before he felt the tremor and he sat heavily again. Shit maybe he had been. But he was not about to admit that. "Hey how was I supposed to know where you were and I finally popped that stupid ball…"

At that sentence Jiraiya merely pointed to Ririshii and his eyes took a hard note to them. "I think you know how to find me if you need me."

"Riri's got his own training." Naruto frowned. "Hell you're the one that even thought up that idea."

"Yes but I'm sure if you asked the mutt, Pakkun included, they would point you in my direction."

"I didn't want to interrupt your 'research'." Naruto spat unintentionally but stood behind his own gut. Why was Jiraiya so concerned with him spending some time in the rain?

Things went silent for a while before Jiraiya sighed took a puff and let it out slowly. He stood again and towered over Naruto just eyeing him for a minute. "I thought you were smarter than that. You seem to know when you need help and when you don't so I assumed you would **ask** if you needed it. Apparently I should have kept checking in to make sure you weren't doing something stupid."

"Seemed to me you just wanted to stay with those girls." Naruto muttered and received a sharp thwack on his head. He reached up and grabbed at the spot and glared at the old pervert who was frowning. "What?"

"Better rest up smart ass." Jiraiya was grumbling a little and resettling himself in his own bed. "Word on the air is someone's headed for Tanzaku…and if it's true we'd better get moving…"

"You already guessed Tanzaku." Naruto frowned at the man's back. What was he getting all gung-ho for now? "We were already headed there until **you** stopped."

"No, not her. And old buddy of ours has his sights set on Tanzaku now…Orochimaru."

"Wha…" Naruto balked. The snake was headed for the same place they were? That was just not right was it? Why would he go there when Sasuke was back in Konoha? "As in…the snake bastard?"

"Yes, exactly. Word in the village was that Orochimaru got a parting gift from dear old Sensei and bets are he's looking for Tsunade as well." Jiraiya pulled the covers up over him and snorted. "So rest up there Kiddo. It's about to get serious."

* * *

Naruto believed he had lived in a relatively large and busy place up until a few weeks ago. Standing in the middle of Tanzaku however, put any of those notions to rest. He kept looking for the castle Jiraiya was telling him about but for the most part he saw only large buildings and lots and lots of people.

"He's insane…he's mentally insane and we've gotten in way over our heads here." Naruto was muttering as he rushed along the streets, looking for the tiniest of alcoves to stop and get his bearings straight again.

After arriving in Tanzaku, apparently to root out Tsunade, Jiraiya's former teammate, Jiraiya had just up and left him. He told him WHERE to meet him later on that evening but little else was conveyed and soon Ririshii and he found themselves standing amongst noon traffic on a Monday.

"Perhaps he can find her faster. We cannot enter gambling houses right?"

"I don't think we can anyway." Naruto muttered as he ducked under a few people, earning some yells and glares but he was used to those and sat down heavily beneath an outstretched awning near a door. "Still seems he's just gonna duck into his favorite haunts. If Tsunade thinks this is a good place to come for gambling bets are those places with girls in 'em are here too."

Riri nodded and sat beside him panting heavily. The sun was high and they had been on the move since early that morning when Jiraiya had decided to stop having so much fun in the previous village. Naruto pulled out his water canteen and a small cup he kept along and poured the liquid for Riri. The shepherd quickly lapped it up and looked up at the sky.

"Too hot today…too many out."

"Yeah." Naruto muttered watching the blur of moving people. "What good is splitting up going to do us? Just makes us a moving target for Orochimaru is what it does…..wait..."

Naruto sat up quickly and glanced over at Ririshii. "Do you remember that freaks scent? The one from the forest?"

Riri's ears perked up a little bit then deflated a bit. "It was a strange scent…two mixed as one. He was wearing skin of another wasn't he?"

"Yeah I was probably trying to forget about that." Naruto groaned and shivered involuntarily. He forgot the freakier things that Orochimaru was capable of doing up till that point.

"But maybe TonTon?" Riri stood up and began sniffing the air excitedly. "I can remember her scent! We only met her a week ago!"

Naruto smiled. Riri had the right idea. "We just gotta figure out where to start. This place is huge… they could be staying at any of the hotels. Maybe the center…"

Riri sat up on his haunches and slapped his front paws together and in a puff there were soon two more Riri's. Naruto blinked for a moment then began to grin like an idiot.

"Pakkun says that one should emulate their master, to some extent." The Riri in the middle nodded thoughtfully and nodded his head eagerly. The other two began sniffing the winds and soon they went off in opposite directions. "And it is useful to track more than one thing!"

"Riri," Naruto began to follow his dog through the crowds again, Riri's nose pointed high as he tried to catch the little pig's scent. "You are just awesome."

"Pakkun says I'm slow." Riri growled a little back at him. "But he says this would be the best place to start. Only requires one hand sign for humans so we can do it easy. Also showing me how to do …what did he call it…fang pursuit?"

"Huh that's weird." Naruto re situated his bags and gave a shrug. "Whatever it is you guys have been doing is great though. So hey Riri, gotta ask you what happened yesterday…"

"Hmm?"

"You know why was the old guy getting so uptight about me sleeping outside?" Naruto frowned. He was still pondering Jiraiya's odd behavior.

Riri lowered his nose and his ears swiveled around worriedly. "He seemed worried… I went to find him after you passed out. I could smell the rain coming but you wouldn't wake up…"

"Sorry about that." Naruto rubbed at his head and took a few glances around them. "But I've done that before, both of us have…"

"Different than from Wave." Riri's tail dipped for a second. "You were sleeping then. This time…I dunno just different so I went to find him. Had to nip him a few times but I think he came because girls thought I was cute."

"There's a shocker."

"We came back to you just as it started to rain. He seemed worried after that." Riri shrugged a little and sniffed around a building front. "At least he did not sleep till after you woke up the day after…"

Naruto mulled that over a bit and sighed. He was holding a grudge for no reason now. Maybe the old pervert seemed disinterested or whatever but maybe he was not that bad. Up till that point before the whole 'incident' he had been growing attached to the old man. He liked goofing around with him…he liked hearing all those old tales and poking fun back at the older man…

And maybe he realized just what Jiraiya had said just short of two weeks ago was true: they were an awful lot alike.

"Guess we can let up on him a bit." Naruto was rushed to say into the silence. "I mean he's not tried that again has he?"

"No… " Riri agreed slightly. "I vote to keep on calling him pervy sage though."

"Oh no that's a given. We're calling him that forever! You see the way his eye twitches when we do it?" Naruto began laughing now. "Swear we gotta go into one of those places and call him that see what he does…"

"It might mean our deaths."

"Well then it was worth it…"

Before Riri could comment the shepherd froze mid-step and swung around, ears erect and completely still. Naruto instinctively reached into his bag and swung out a kunai and waited. Either something found them or…

"This way!" Riri took off in a dead run. "One of the clones found something!!!"

"What?!" Naruto yelled after him, pushing hard to catch up to the four-legged animal. "How do you know that? I didn't hear anything!"

"I just do!" Riri shrugged before pushing off of the ground and hitting the rooftops. "But we have to hurry! I think they're in trouble!"

* * *

Shizune was completely frozen as the two presented themselves. Why she had convinced Tsunade to take a brisk walk near the castles was beyond her now as she stared at the attendant and his master. It was horrifying for a few seconds as the wind blew between them and all four parties involved just stared.

TonTon was the only voice of reason among them as she stood square in front of Shizune and just oinked her little heart out trying to keep the two away from her mistresses. She wanted to reach down and pick up the pig, but feared moving would provoke a reaction she was not quite ready for.

Orochimaru.

A fellow Sannin like her master Tsunade. She took a quick look to the blonde beside her and so far Tsunade seemed unfazed by his sudden appearance.

"Tsunade…I've been looking all over for you." The snake-like man wisped out in that gravelly voice Shizune desperately tried to forget for years and grinned like a jackal in sight of prey.

"Orochimaru…" Tsunade merely replied back coolly and furrowed her brow. "Whatever could you want?"

"Tsunade-sama…" the attendant was moving. He was a wiry looking boy with glasses and silver hair. He was addressing Tsunade of course but once his hand went behind his back she forgot her fear and moved forward.

"I won't let you." She growled and pulled on the triggers for her needles. Unlike Tsunade she never really was able to attain Tsunade's strength but she had her own uses. Once he was distracted, analyzing her needles she moved in with ones she kept in her belt and he responded in kind by breaking out a kunai that was oddly curved. Before it could reach her neck a loud snarl broke both of their concentration on each other and his wrist was being snagged by a rather large German shepherd and it began pulling intently.

"Ririshii…" Shizune whispered out thankfully and pulled back to a safer distance, ready to use her throwing needles to at least paralyze the attendant. She did not know why the dog was there but she was thankful.

The silver-haired boy responded in kind with a sharp kick to the dog's side and the animal disappeared in a puff of smoke. For a second he stood there surprised and Shizune had to admit she too was surprised, it was a shadow clone of the dog? But then he snarled angrily and turned his attention back to her.

"Shizune! That's enough!" Tsunade barked and a dark chuckle from behind the boy seemed to reign in his instinct to protect Orochimaru because he obediently went back and put away his weapon.

"It would seem, Kabuto that you failed to take care of our little fox problem." Orochimaru was still chuckling looking to the spot the dog had once been. "I wonder….why did he follow us here?"

"I would wonder more about who he's with." Kabuto snarled and repositioned his glasses with one of his fingers. "This is a risky move for him to be here alone…"

"_Fox problem?" _Shizune could not help but ponder as she returned to Tsunade's side. "_That was Ririshii I was sure of it…he's Naruto's dog…" _

"It's of little concern now. Tsunade…."

"Heh, don't play sweet with me Orochimaru, seems to me you have someone on your tail. I can only imagine why. Finally pick a fight with the wrong person? Those arms of yours don't look too good."

"Very sharp, just like always Tsunade-hime." Orochimaru purred and held up his arms shakily. Now a little clearer in her observations Shizune quickly noted their look and how Orochimaru himself seemed. He was injured, gravely and Tsunade had of course picked up on that immediately. "You could say I went to have a little talk with our dear Sensei."

At the mention of the Sandaime Tsunade raised an eyebrow but otherwise did not react. Shizune balked. There was something in the conversation of the village she had met Naruto in that still haunted her. There had been an attack on Konoha… many feared it would reach them. But when she spoke with Naruto he never said a word.

"_But he was probably being a good Shinobi. Why broadcast that your village had been attacked. And maybe he did not know. He said he was with his boss too…maybe he's been away…"_

"Oh he had little to say." Orochimaru was continuing on, her moment of thought had distracted her from the situation she was now in. "But there isn't much the dead can say now is there?"

Shizune could not help but gasp. The Sandaime was dead? That was…that was impossible…it had to be. No he was older, very much past his prime, Orochimaru had always been very aggressive and powerful in his own right…it was possible and Tsunade's teeth gnashing nearby told her that the older woman believed it as well.

"Oh come now Hime…when's the last time you've been back to Konoha? You hold as little ties to that place as I do." The man baited her.

"Tsunade-sama." Kabuto again tried to address her. "As you can tell Orochimaru was wounded in that battle. I have heard of your skill, and we were hoping to garner your aid…"

"You must be joking." Tsunade spat. "You know not to joke with me when I'm in a bad mood Orochimaru."

Orochimaru just stood there with that odd smirk on his face, mocking her. Slowly Tsunade's bad mood was rising into a full blown anger and soon she was going to show Orochimaru not to mess with her. Which was fine by Shizune, in his current state Orochimaru would not be able to defend himself.

"Perhaps a trade?" The attendant was offering up in hopes of keeping things peaceful, or so it seemed.

"There is absolutely nothing you could have that I would want Orochimaru." Tsunade cracked her knuckles and smiled back just as darkly. "But since we're 'old friends' I'll give you to the count of three to get out of my sight."

"One."

"Two."

Kabuto visibly began to balk and was backing away towards the high castle walls around them all. Orochimaru remained undeterred by her display.

"Thr…"

"I will bring back your dear little brother and that man you seemed to love so much." Orochimaru finally spouted out before Tsunade even got her foot off the ground to go smash his face in. As soon as he said it Tsunade froze and just blinked at the other Sannin. "I can do it with the jutsu I have developed. Do you want to see them again Tsunade? I know how dear they both were to you…"

"Shut up…"

"All I need in return is the use of my arms and a couple of sacrifices from your side. Then you can see them again Hime."

"I said shut up!" Tsunade slammed her balled up fist into the wall behind them and it crumbled in shatters. Tsunade was known for two things: her medical skill and her strength. What little realized was it was tied in together and that was why she was so deadly.

"We don't need an answer today, Tsunade-sama." Kabuto bowed his head a little in reverence. "Please take some time to think it over…"

"I would like an answer in a week." Orochimaru purred and leapt away, that same smile plastered on his face. "See you around, Tsunade."

Shizune waited till she was sure they were gone to turn around to face her mistress. She was shocked to find Tsunade was struggling with this proposal.

"Lady Tsunade, we should have just finished it while we could. He's the one that attacked Konoha, I'm sure of it!" Shizune begged with her to follow them and to put an end to whatever Orochimaru had up his sleeve but Tsunade did not respond to it. "Lady Tsunade! You can't possibly be thinking… Your brother would not want this! Neither would Uncle Dan!"

"Be quiet." Tsunade finally growled and began stalking away. Shizune knew it was a risk saying her uncle's name but she had no choice. She would love to see her uncle again, who would not want such a chance but the way the chance was presenting itself. There was no way that Tsunade could possibly consider this deal…

Was there?

She glanced down at TonTon still sniffing the ground where the shadow clone had dispersed. She looked around for the real thing but could not find it. "TonTon….stay here. I'm sure Ririshii will come to find what happened to his clone. You can lead them to us later okay?"

TonTon oinked her approval and sat down near the pile of rubble.

This was a huge risk. Ririshii was here and that meant Naruto was too. He was a ninja, and that meant his master had to be one too. Maybe they could deter Tsunade from this choice or they could go find Orochimaru and deal with him.

She scurried after Tsunade, now pissed off and dealing with memories she was better at repressing when she was gambling. She had just lost a good deal of money so that only meant one logical place now…Tsunade was going to go get drunk.

Shizune silently contemplated joining her. It had already been a stressful few weeks, Tsunade in a worse mood because of her losses, and after arriving in Tanzaku they could not quite shake the feeling of being followed. But she could not let down her guard now…it seemed that finally after all these years Tsunade's problems were finally catching up to her and she was not sure if the older woman would break out of her stupor at last or crumble beneath the weight of it all.

"_Lady Tsunade…"_

_

* * *

_

It really did not shock Naruto to find Jiraiya going in the same direction he was. Judging from the mass fleeing of people from around the castle itself something big had started to go down around that area and people were getting out of dodge. So he merely allowed the older man to come into their formation and kept his eye on Ririshii.

Once they landed atop the slate roofing of the walls that created the pathways Naruto began glancing around at the ready for whatever it was Ririshii's clone had found. Instead there was just a hole in the opposite wall and very little else to be seen.

"Well it looks like we were just a tad too late." Jiraiya was snorting and going down to inspect the damage. "This is defiantly her work."

"Whose work?" Naruto landed just a few steps away and he kept his eye out around them. "I thought you said this chick was a medical specialist."

Ririshii had taken up sniffing at a particular spot, his tail stiff and slowly he began to snarl. "Orochimaru…"

"He was here?"

"There is a whole other side to medical training that very little pursues, Kid. That's what makes Tsunade one of us; she also has monstrous strength to go along with that healing skill." Jiraiya muttered and looked to the sky above. "Hell I can still feel when she caught me peeping back in Konoha…."

"Does every memory you have something perverted tied to it?" Naruto was beginning to berate the old man but a little oink broke his concentration and he glanced over to the rubble pile. Riri perked up and bounded over to the little pig climbing the stones left from the wall. "TonTon!"

The pig huddled beneath Ririshii, oinking and whimpering as she did and Riri merely sat to give her more cover as she seemed to be shuddering now.

"Oh that's right, Tsunade's pet pig…" Jiraiya was laughing a bit to come over and inspect the animal. "Wonder what it's still doing here…"

"I think Shizune wants help." Riri whined in response and stood again. "TonTon can lead us to her."

"And if she's Tsunade's attendant, then Tsunade will be with her." Naruto beamed. "Okay TonTon, lead the way."

"Heh, you two just think you're so clever." Jiraiya ruffled Naruto's hair as Naruto stood up from crouching down to inspect TonTon. "Let's give her a few hours to cool off; I do not want that happening to me."

Naruto glanced at the wall and then frowned up at Jiraiya. "Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously." Jiraiya hummed to himself. "She's probably hot right now and looking to hurt whoever else wants to push her right now so let's give her time. TonTon needs a moment to relax to, don't you TonTon?"

The pig oinked and shuddered again. Naruto could not really blame the pig; if he had to face that freak again he would probably shudder too. So he relented to Jiraiya's will and glared. "So what now? We can find her but we haven't yet?"

"You seem to need that third step." Jiraiya pulled out a deflated balloon and began blowing it up.

"Oh you're kidding me…"

"Trust me, you'll get it." Jiraiya grinned as he held the balloon perfectly still in his palm. "The third step is supposed to help you understand one thing. You've already gotten the idea to combine the two but that's not what this jutsu is in its entirety. The third step is to combine the two elements you've already learned, but to NOT pop the balloon."

Naruto felt his mouth drop open. _"Damn it he's right I do get it!!! If you don't compress the chakra it just keeps going wider and wider and loses its power! DAMN IT!" _

"See I knew you'd get it. Here," he tossed the balloon his way. "If you can figure this out you'll have figured out the technique. You'll just have to refine it from there."

So they began to walk back to the busy village below, but in a much more sedate pace. Riri lay down and allowed TonTon to climb upon his back. The little pig accepted and soon the two were trotting alongside Jiraiya.

Before they knew it they were back in town but instead of trying to find Tsunade, they went to a small out of the way inn and Jiraiya acquired the room for them. He actually went upstairs with them and snagged the balloon from Naruto as they entered.

"I can't deal with property damage…these places like to gouge for that." He sat down and pointed at the other bed in the room. "We'll relax for a while then go find her."

"Relax? Orochimaru is around her somewhere and you want to relax."

"He's in no state to come at anyone right now." Jiraiya reached out and shoved Naruto backwards onto the bed. "Come on, trust me a little. Just sit there cross-legged and close your eyes."

Naruto sat back up and did as he was told but just frowned back. Jiraiya finally grinned a little and shook his head. "Okay fine, what do you do when you want to just let your mind go? Meditation didn't seem your type of thing…but figured I'd try."

"Gardening." Naruto answered reluctantly. "But that doesn't help me, I don't have my plants. They're probably getting overgrown and…"

"Shush, just imagine it and close your eyes. Trust me." Jiraiya pointed at him again and Naruto decided to try this idea. It did seem like Tsunade had a temper. Jiraiya automatically believed that Tsunade was the one to cause the hole in the wall and he knew Orochimaru preferred a more hand's off approach so it was likely what Jiraiya was telling him was true.

And for a moment he felt silly for trying to imagine his plants back home and how badly they would need trimmed. But slowly he felt the tension lessening in his shoulders as he went through and 'tended' to each plant. It did spur him a bit and he reached for his bags and pulled out the scroll he had the peony cutting in and began doting on it. He made sure it was still wrapped properly and not decaying or dying while sealed up in the parchment.

It still seemed moist and healthy and he carefully put it back into his scroll and resealed it.

"I have to admit not understanding this hobby."

"The lady at the flower shop got me started…she was so nice about it and I just like it." Naruto stuck his tongue out and frowned. "It's a calming activity."

"So I see." Jiraiya chuckled. "Kept you quiet for a good couple of hours. Let's go, Tsunade's good and drunk by now I would guess."

"We were waiting for her to get drunk?!" Naruto hopped up, his calm fleeing in seconds. "You guys are messed up, honestly, who named you three Sannin?"

"That's a story for another time." Jiraiya patted him on the head and opened the door. "Come on TonTon; lead us to your master."

The little pig oinked and hit the floor with her nose to the floor. Riri too joined in and began sniffing for Shizune, Naruto could only guess. It did not take both animals long to stop in front of a bar and stare up at the sign as if they both knew it was the place.

"Well, guess we better go in." Jiraiya hummed happily.

"I can't go in there! I'm not old enough."

"You're with an adult, we can probably get dinner too come on." Jiraiya tugged at his shirt and Naruto gave in and curiously followed the man indoors.

It really was just like any other restaurant he had been in before only less crowded. He began scanning over the high walls that surrounded the booths but it was Jiraiya who had spotted her first and Naruto began to agree that Jiraiya was a very good actor, if he wanted to be. He acted surprised and pointed wildly at the blonde woman sitting next to a demure looking Shizune and proclaimed as loudly as he could.

"Tsunade!"

"Jiraiya?!" the woman came up and swayed a little before her caramel eyes focused in on the boisterous old man.

Naruto waved a little to Shizune, who grinned in a relieved way and quickly helped TonTon up on the bench with her. Jiraiya was moving to sit with the women and Naruto followed suit, letting Jiraiya sit directly across from the blonde who did not look anywhere near fifty.

"I've been looking all over for you Tsunade!" Jiraiya boasted and flagged down a waiter. "Order kid. Where have you been all this time?"

"Apparently I'm on everyone's hit list tonight." The woman sat back down and began pouring sake into a dish. Jiraiya was right, she looked wasted. There was a slight blush to her cheeks and she seemed very distracted. He almost wanted to feel nervous but kept telling himself that if she was going to focus on it was going to be Jiraiya.

He looked up and caught Shizune mouthing the words thank you and was petting Ririshii. He grinned big and shrugged. Apparently she did want help. Maybe if the two 'bosses' got to talking too much they could slip off and she could give him the details.

Instead Tsunade merely kept drinking and Jiraiya just watched.

Food came and Naruto realized finally he was hungry. He sat down a small plate for Riri and Shizune had ordered for TonTon. When the food finally came Jiraiya finally started talking.

"So, how have you been Tsunade?"

"Cut to the chase Jiraiya, what do you want?" The look the woman shot at the man made Naruto cringe a bit and watched as Jiraiya steeled himself slightly. He lost the goofy grin and leaned up on one of his hands as he stared back with the woman.

"Very well…the village has requested that you become the Fifth Hokage."

Naruto was certainly starting to doubt that but he had seen some of her handiwork so maybe it was not entirely unwarranted. Still watching her drink, and how she appeared in her thirties, it just seemed …un-Hokage-like. They could not seriously want either one of them in the position. For a second Shizune and Tsunade merely blinked at Jiraiya who took another drink himself and waited. Finally though the blonde began laughing as if Jiraiya had just told a joke.

"You've got to be kidding me. Only an idiot takes the title of Hokage."

Naruto blanched and nearly choked on his bite before slamming his hands on the table and glaring at the woman who only now seemed to notice his presence.

"The Old man wasn't an idiot!"

"Seems to me he was. A dead idiot is what I hear."

Before he could punch her in the face Jiraiya's hand snagged the back of his shirt and held him in place. It didn't stop him from trying though and he fairly seethed. He had avoided this topic like the plague and this woman….his STUDENT…had just so openly and easily dismissed his passing without a bat of an eye.

"How dare you!" Naruto snarled. "He was a good man and your teacher! You're just some old bitch pretending to be young, you're no better than that snake bastard…."

He felt Jiraiya release him suddenly and the woman came right up into his face. Those caramel eyes were cold as ice as she stared at him with a frown on her face. He did not care that he could smell the alcohol on each quickening breath or that he could sense he had just crossed some invisible line. Let her beat him silly, he had dealt with that before and he was not letting anyone disrespect his Oji-san.

"Let's take this outside little boy."

Shizune quickly stood up and let Tsunade pass. TonTon had ducked under the table with Ririshii and Jiraiya had flinched backwards.

"Way to go Kid. Fair warning, you're about to be in a world of hurt." Jiraiya pushed on him a little bit and he found himself following the woman outside.

Naruto stood across from her in the street and just waited. She was drunk, and usually drunks spouted on a bit before they came at you. Riri quickly skirted outside but was grabbed by the scruff by Jiraiya. Shizune and TonTon positioned themselves beside Tsunade and Shizune began pleading with the older woman but was brushed off.

"A snot-nosed Genin like you, I'll only need one finger." She held up one slender finger with painted nail and just smirked in a knowing way. Finally he had enough and decided just to get things started. He pulled out a kunai and just rushed forward in a bid to throw her off balance.

Instead she ducked, her finger came upwards and he felt his headband go flying off and soon there was a flick to his head. And then he was eating dirt. He reached up to his forehead, the throbbing as almost instant and he fought the urge to just lie there.

"_Damn it that hurt! What the hell did she do with her finger?" _He growled up at her and heard Riri barking anxiously nearby.

"I'm curious…why are you so touchy on the subject of Hokage?" She purred, her other hand on her hip and her one finger still outstretched and awaiting his next attack. He stood up and put his hand out. He was nowhere near to getting it right but he had to try. Hokage attack against Sannin attack…maybe that would work.

"What's it matter to you? You left the village like a coward." He began snarling as he gathered his chakra. "Oji-san was a great man! He was not an idiot and someday I am going to follow his example. I am going to be Hokage…that's my dream."

His little speech seemed to prompt something and she seemed to take a visible step backwards. He grinned and decided to take his opening and try what he had been learning. He rushed forward the ball of chakra spinning in his hands but once again Tsunade proved that even drunk she was a better match. She quickly shoved just that one forefinger into the ground in front of her and he suddenly found himself in a fissure.

"Naruto!" Shizune was quick to come help him.

"Shizune you know this brat?"

Shizune froze but began nodding her head. "Yes Tsunade-sama. I met him a few towns back, he and Ririshii."

"That's the mutt from earlier." Tsunade growled as she glanced over to the dog, now growling while Jiraiya held him back. "Let him go Jiraiya, he's not going to touch me either."

Jiraiya did not comply and Naruto coughed to clear the dirt from his mouth. He glared back up at the woman and found her scowling at him.

"What would a little Genin understand about being Hokage? I don't know what that idiot is trying to put into your head but he taught you a technique that you cannot master. Get over yourself and stay alive a little longer than most."

"I know a lot more than you do!" Naruto struggled up to his knees and speared her with a look. "And just you watch. I'll figure that jutsu out in no time. Never tell Uzumaki Naruto no."

"Heh. Oh really?" Tsunade flipped her blonde pigtails around her shoulders and grinned at him suddenly. "Fine let's make a bet you and I, I'll give you one week to master the Rasengan. If you win, I'll believe you can be Hokage. I'll even throw in this necklace."

"What do you get if I don't get it?"

"All your money." She held up a frog wallet and Naruto glanced around his pockets and then gaped at her. Not only was she fast she was a pick-pocket! "Jiraiya, you'd be a better Sensei if you wouldn't fill your student's heads with false hopes."

"Eh, consider me a thick-skulled idiot." Jiraiya merely shrugged and finally released Riri, who was still snarling and baring his teeth at Tsunade. "Come on Kid, I think you've pissed her off enough, you're lucky you're still conscious."

Naruto believed Jiraiya. His head was really starting to hurt from the one flick she did give him. He whistled lowly to Riri but did not bother to turn around to see if the dog was following. Jiraiya gave Tsunade one last look and began leading the way back to the inn.

While Shizune returned Tsunade's green jacket, removed while they were in the bar, Riri stalked up slowly to them both, his teeth still bared.

"Oh? You are going to try it aren't you, you stupid mutt." Tsunade grinned and readied her finger.

"No." Ririshii growled menacingly and sat for a moment. "I merely wanted to tell you that you are no better than the drunks of the village. And we've seen our good share of all of em. Hope you like yourself in the morning, coward."

"Riri-san…" Shizune called after the retreating dog but deflated as Tsunade walked back to the door of the bar. _"Tsunade-sama how could you…"_

_

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_

**Author note x2: **eh…. Drove my car into a ditch this weekend. Well no…not drove… tried to parallel park it when a truck lost control on a road. YAY Winter Weather. Seriously…when's summer gonna get here cause I'm sick of this shit. Story related note: WOOOT….ass kicking chapter coming up!


	25. One's Dream

**The Fox and the Hound**

**Chapter 19: **One's Dream

**Chapter Summary: **Tsunade has an impossible choice ahead of her and Naruto an impossible task… But no one tells Naruto no and Tsunade may not be as lost as she seems.

**Author Note: ** Man I am going to owe you guys like 7 missing moments and a thousand apologies aren't I? Final Fantasy 13 came out on March 9th and well I have to sit and play through those games until the finish because the story usually has me hooked 2 hours in….so yeah I've been M.I.A. doing that. Lucky for you guys I'm at a boss fight that keeps pounding my face into the dirt so I decided to step back for a day or two and figure out what I'm doing wrong.

P.S. Cripes it's been a month since I updated…. God I feel awful about that….SO Here's what we're doing. You'll notice this one is a short one. But I kinda noticed tacking on the fight onto this particular section would also be like over kill cause who wants to scroll through that many pages in one sitting. SO since I really do owe you guys SOMETHING…I'm putting the first part of the chapter up now and the second part will be either later tonight (still working on it.) or Tuesday afternoon.

Again I really apologize for dropping off the face of the planet on this :D I just got caught up on my video game habit.

P.S.S. … I swear liking this arc has backfired badly… I don't wanna change it…I like it how it was!!! XD

* * *

It was hard to remember that twelve-years-old was an odd, transitional age. It was a fact Jiraiya had to keep repeating to himself as he exited the town of Tanzaku and out into the surrounding thicket of trees and brush. He had taught kids before, hell almost every Jounin out there would train at least one team of Genin, but this kid was just throwing him off. At times it would seem Naruto was completely relaxed and focused; a model Shinobi, and then there were those instances where Jiraiya had to ponder where the hell such a reaction came from.

It was not like Naruto had ever _**met**_ his mother but he certainly _**acted**_ like her at times.

But the more he thought on the matter the more obvious and predictable the reason for the tongue-lashing Naruto gave to Tsunade became.

Sarutobi's death was the sole factor.

Jiraiya had been prepared for Tsunade to blow off that particular detail. The Sandaime had tried his best to keep her in Konoha but merely ended up alienating the woman from him further. It was also because Tsunade was just like him; they both were in their fifties and after losing so many people you just become sort of numb to it. It still stung and created a void but there was a time and place for such things and in all honesty Sarutobi was around a lot longer than many others would have been in this line of work.

But Naruto was twelve-years-old. It was that odd age of not really being a child anymore but not really a teenager or an adult. Naruto understood how he was to act and behave as a Shinobi but sometimes the emotional rush just hit the right place and he lashed out like he had in the bar. Sarutobi had meant something to the boy and hearing someone who, as Naruto had to see it, was close to Sarutobi dismiss his passing as nothing more than happenstance just hit the right trigger.

A trigger that had to be pretty raw and paper thin at this point.

The kid was having a particularly lovely month the more Jiraiya thought about it. Sarutobi, a man Naruto openly called 'oji-san', was dead. The village he had grown up in had gaping holes and several dead. Kakashi, his guardian for a good chunk of the boy's life, was in the hospital as was another of his teammates. Naruto just had the ground beneath him torn away and he was unsteady; understandable given the circumstances.

Jiraiya knew he should have been making a little more effort to gain the boy's trust; to try to build a student-teacher bond of some sort but so far he had met invisible walls and believed Naruto would slowly open back up the longer they were together. He had to admit it was an exercise he was not too familiar with. Jiraiya never really had to gain any of his other student's trust because they had just given it to him freely without thought. Naruto was not so easy.

As he came upon a small clearing in the forest growth he found the blonde doing just as he thought he would be. Naruto was throwing himself fully into perfecting the Rasengan just to prove Tsunade wrong. Just to show her what it was she was missing.

He glanced around momentarily for Ririshii and did not immediately see the shepherd and wondered just where the mutt had gone. Riri had a good feel for his master's moods and to leave him alone and unattended in his current mood was just allowing him to repeat what he had a few days prior; drive himself into the ground. And if Orochimaru was indeed in the area they could not really have that.

"_I just have to figure out what it is he offered Tsunade. She gave him a week to master the Rasengan for a reason. She wouldn't entertain any offer Orochimaru had…would she?" _Jiraiya frowned as the boy's scraped palm once again slammed into a nearby tree and only created spirals.

At one time he could have honestly refuted any possibility that Tsunade would do anything to help Orochimaru. They all had seen what he had been doing while under Sarutobi's protective bubble; they knew what his true intentions were. But now? He could not say. Tsunade was not the fiery woman he had chased endlessly during their days as Chuunin and Jounin. It was possible she was having a hard time deciding and that in of itself was dangerous.

Still he had to give her time to clear her head. There was little he could do when she was completely pissed off. He had seen that momentary flicker in her eyes the night before after Naruto declared he would follow in Sensei's footsteps; to be Hokage.

Her little brother used to have such dreams….

So instead he took his time walking into Naruto's sphere of awareness and decided to spearhead the problem he could actually do something about at present. For Naruto's credit he did not stop to look at him but he had a slight hesitation in his step before plowing right back into what he had set in his mind to do. Jiraiya found a stump to sit on and watched for a while noting that the efforts were not being wasted entirely, he was getting closer to unlocking the right mix of power and spin, it was just probably getting past the pain threshold that was holding him back.

"_I forgot how much that hurts when you're learning it." _Jiraiya smirked a little flexing one of his hands instinctively. The reason it had taken Minato so long to perfect it was exactly the same thing, he had believed he was doing damage because until your body got used to that particular strain and output it hurt like a thousand needles digging into your arms.

Several long minutes transpired as he debated the best way to approach Naruto but in the long run it was just like dealing with Kakashi. He needed to blindside him.

"So wanna talk about it?" He called out as Naruto retraced his steps to an invisible starting point in the middle of the clearing.

"About what?" Naruto snorted and focused on gathering his chakra and spinning it.

"Oh about anything?" Jiraiya shrugged and pointed to the several trees now adorning spirals. "Certainly seems like your upset."

Naruto went at his target again, the same result and snarled at the tree before returning to square one as it was. He glanced momentarily at him then back to his task and hunched his shoulders a bit.

"I can't believe that the elders would want someone like **her** to be Hokage. There's no way." Naruto spat out as he gathered another ball in his other hand. He was still toying with the idea of which hand the technique worked best with. "She's a liar, a gambler, and a drunk. That is not a Hokage, that's a lost cause."

"Oh is it now? And what exactly is a Hokage then?" Jiraiya folded his arms and waited. This was the right track to follow because bets were that this boy's ideals of Hokage were going to detail Sarutobi.

It certainly stopped Naruto and he just stood there his eyes turned upwards towards the fluffy clouds floating overhead. For a second Jiraiya wondered if the boy caught on to his true intentions or if he was just stuck on the idea of it all.

"They should want to protect Konoha, not abandon it." Naruto finally whispered. "They should be the strongest in the village but they should not want to hold that power over people. The Hokage should be the pillar of the village, the one everyone looks to for guidance…"

"And you do not think she fits any of those things."

"How could anyone look to her for anything when she can't even find herself?" Naruto dropped the chakra he was gathering and turned on Jiraiya like a ravenous dog looking for the tiniest of scrap of food. He wanted to understand their choice but was finding it too hard to do so. "She's unreliable and she left the village…why in the world would anyone trust her after that?"

"Well because she is a Sannin and because she is the granddaughter of the First Hokage. She has a birthright in their eyes." Jiraiya shrugged. "And before she left the village she was a leader, she was strong and she loved the village dearly."

"And yet she abandoned it." Naruto snorted and turned his eyes back up at the clouds. "Oji-san would never…"

"You're right he wouldn't have. I'm not saying her actions were right ones but it was how she chose to handle things. " Jiraiya sighed and shook his head. "You're right in the fact that she can't find herself, that's why we're here really."

"Why is it our job?" Naruto frowned upwards at the sky. "Seems to me she doesn't want to be found."

"Heh, certainly seems that way. But that's what he would have wanted. Sensei always worried about her, after she left. He would want her to come home."

Naruto flinched at that. He diverted his gaze and his jaw became set as he watched clouds floating by lazily.

"I know he meant something to you." Jiraiya pressed forward and waited. "It doesn't do any good to let it fester."

Naruto hung his head and kept his gaze well away from Jiraiya. Yes twelve was that wonderfully awkward age when you were old enough to go out and kill for your village but was not old enough to mentally deal with something like 'death', especially when that death involved someone from a pool of people that had very few in it to begin with.

"I'm afraid…"

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow in shock. He had expected a refusal or at least an agreement but no in-depth explanation.

"He was the only reason that…that people stopped… I mean what if he was the only reason they never did more than rough me up? I could always go to the tower, I was always welcome there…but…but he's not there anymore."

Jiraiya sobered a little and fought the urge to ask questions.

"I miss him…" Naruto scrubbed at his face furiously, still keeping it hidden from Jiraiya even though he could tell the kid was loosening up and letting it go. "I knew he was not there and why but I still kept looking for him."

"Me too." Jiraiya glanced upwards and sighed again. He caught the blonde's turn and knew Naruto's eyes were now upon him. "And bets are I'll keep looking for him to. It's natural to miss someone when they're gone."

"It's kinda funny…" Naruto laughed half-heartedly. "I never understood why Kakashi went to the memorial stone so much. He'd just stand there and then leave. But I'd give anything to talk to Oji-san again…I bet that's what he is doing too."

"Probably, I never really understood that whole ritual either. Just don't get stuck in the past, it's a dangerous thing to linger." Jiraiya watched as the boy quietly walked to the ground near his stump and slumped down relatively close to him. He reached out and quietly ruffled the boy's hair and grinned a bit when Naruto did not seem too adverse to the contact. "You can't change what happened but you can carry on his legacy, we all can."

"To pass down and on."

"Exactly," Jiraiya patted Naruto's head and grinned as the boy peered up at him. "And you should not worry too much about the village. The Sandaime may have made that rule to protect you, but I don't think you need it anymore. Kakashi would not let anything happen to you nor would I. A man never goes back on his word."

Naruto snapped to attention and watched him closely, probably trying to uncover the deception but Jiraiya meant it. He finally seemed to believe that and Naruto just returned to staring at the 'training field' in front of him.

"I think that's enough Rasengan training today." Jiraiya stood and glanced down at Naruto still sitting in the grass. "The trees need a break."

Naruto snorted and cracked a small smile. "I'm not just going to slack off. "

"I know you aren't but if you keep up this pace you won't be upright when the week is up and it's no good if you master it but can't demonstrate that fact." Jiraiya poked him in the forehead and grinned big. "And I have realized I've been neglecting part of your training…"

"Oh? How's that?"

""I seem to remember an interest in sealing."

"Oh yeah that." Naruto took a glance to the pouch he had been keeping underneath his jacket.

"Heh, I figured maybe we could delve into just what aspect of Sealing you want to work on."

"It's not just one big subject?" Naruto scrunched up his face and looked up Jiraiya patiently.

"Hardly." Jiraiya smirked and crossed his arms across his chest. "It's a lot like Ninjutsu. There are eight or more categories Ninjutsu falls into dependent on their nature and purpose. Sealing is much the same. There are containment seals, power seals, sensory seals, and trap seals. You have an idea of two of those four already."

Naruto was now at rapt attention. The blonde sat up and straight and waited with baited breath to hear the rest of the lesson. "Containment and power."

"Very good." Jiraiya praised and began to look around till he found a suitable clump of trees nearby. "Trap seals are just like containment seals except that they are not really containing anything in the seal itself, you are containing your target in range of the seals and if they cross the threshold after you have set them they activate a trap."

He pulled out a few slips and wrote the proper symbols. He attached small explosive tags to each one and then went to each tree in the four he had found and placed a slip to the bark and keeping himself outside of the threshold.

"What do you suppose happens if someone is inside of this square I've created with tags?"

"The exploding tags will go off and if they're strong enough they'll hurt you." Naruto had stood and came over to the area Jiraiya was standing in. He inspected the one in front of him, his head cocked to the side like a curious pup.

"The trick is maneuvering your target to such a spot and of course linking each of the seals together to form the invisible wall between each tag so that if the target tries to go between the two tags it will sense it."

"Doesn't it make it a sensory seal then?" Naruto squinted one eye and glanced over at him. Jiraiya merely beamed.

"Ah that's a thought but because it activates something after it's triggered that makes it a trap. Sensory types of seals are only slightly different from traps. Their main purpose is to merely alert the sealer that someone has tampered with or activated a particular seal."

"What's the point in that?"

"It comes in handy if you need to be in more than one place at time." Jiraiya rubbed his chin and began to think out a usable example. "Ah, I know a good application. You made water tags for your plants so that if you had to be gone for an extended mission they would at least be watered, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well how do you know when the tag no longer has any water in it?"

Naruto opened his mouth to answer but then quickly shut it again and blinked in confusion. "I guess I don't."

"You can put seals within seals. You could in theory put a sensory seal on one of your watering seals and when the seal runs out of water it would, in a sense, let you know so you could refill it."

Jiraiya gladly watched the gears going on in his student's head. The example he had given was relevant enough for him to get the idea. There was another use for a particular sensory seal but delving into that particular 'jutsu' when Naruto had not even mastered the Rasengan yet was risky.

"So how do you choose?"

"Heh, most do so on a personal preference. Most know containment seals and that's all the more they want to learn but if I were to guess I would say you'd be proficient at trapping or sensory ones." Jiraiya scratched at his head and pretended to ponder.

Really it was a given for the traps. He knew Naruto had a prankster streak in him and that kind of personality usually indicated a good sense for how people reacted and in which direction they would turn. It made maneuvering targets easier when you could trick them into the trap without them knowing they were being led.

He watched as Naruto began digging into his bag behind him and pulling out papers and pens. Naruto seemed to be taking to the suggestion eagerly. It was better for him to focus on this for a small portion of each day instead of spending all of his time slinging chakra balls around at trees.

"I have an idea," Jiraiya put out there as a challenge and took one of the pieces of paper from the boy and began painting out the basic sensory seal's symbols. "This is the basic sensory seal; anything will trigger it and alert the one who placed it once it's been activated. I'll have you put it at the door of the tavern I have been frequenting."

"Why would I do that?"

"Because, before we leave here, I want you to be able to make the seal only sense when **I **enter and **I **leave the tavern. If we leave it as it is, it will alert you to each person that comes and goes from that door." Jiraiya held the piece of paper out to Naruto. "The trick is making it recognize what you want it to."

Naruto began to inspect the markings on the paper and mulling it over in his head. But he was very good at adapting what he had been shown into something he could use so Jiraiya held little doubt that the kid would figure out a workable seal. That was the beauty in sealing jutsu; it was never the same thing for each person. Each person's seals had some basic general symbols but then it went off in hundreds of different directions all to get the same result.

And just maybe if he gave him an alternative to learning to master the Rasengan maybe he would not tire himself out needlessly. It was almost a divide and conquer technique except he was not necessarily hindering the boy any. He was merely setting him up for later lessons down the road. Teaching him power seals was pointless, he already had a power seal that sealed the Kyuubi's chakra and both Naruto and Kakashi seemed wary of any hint of dealing with that particular seal. Containment Seals he had a good grasp upon and that was the natural stopping point for many who worked with seals.

But sensory and trapping, those were useful in combat situations if you planned ahead or could think on the fly.

"Come on I'll show you how to activate it and you can see what it does when someone triggers it." Jiraiya motioned the boy up with his hand and began the short walk back to Tanzaku's gates. Naruto was quick to stand and stuff away the excess supply he had with him and held the seal Jiraiya had given him tightly in his hand. For the most part it seemed he had forgotten his bet with Tsunade even though Jiraiya knew Naruto would never really forget it.

Once they arrived at their destination Jiraiya caught the glimpse of a little pink pig on the other side of the road. Not far behind was the smallest sliver of black with white trim. So Shizune was keeping tabs on Naruto as well. He wondered if it was merely in an attempt to explain Tsunade's actions or because she was concerned about the boy.

"Okay we're here now what?"

"Ah, yeah sorry about that." Jiraiya rubbed at the top of his head and grinned. "There was this gorgeous woman walking by…"

"You're worse than Nii-san with those excuses." Naruto stuck out his tongue at him and held up the slip of paper.

"Heh, well I do suppose our 'line' of succession is quite predictable." Jiraiya pointed to a small alcove near the door. "After all you are a part now of a great line of masters and students. From Sarutobi to me, from me to the Fourth, and from the Fourth to Kakashi, and from Kakashi to you. Sorry about your luck kid but you're destined for it."

"Whatever. There's no way I'll believe the Fourth was a perv. I still don't believe Oji-san was either."

"Heh, well the Yondaime wasn't after he found that red-head to chase, but before then he was like my very own son." Jiraiya beamed proudly. "Kakashi's a little more subtle and I think he does it only to throw people off but secretly…deep down…I know he enjoys those books just as much as the others did. Now about that seal, see the small circle in the middle there? You basically apply your chakra there and stick it to whatever surface or object you want it on and it will act as a sentry in this area here."

Naruto nodded and did as described he then blinked back at Jiraiya. "That's it?"

"Heh, give it a moment. Let someone come through the door and you'll better unde2rstand what it's doing."

They waited there; impatiently in Naruto's respect, until finally a patron decided to enter under the flaps. The blonde straightened immediately and glanced up at him uncertainly.

"Got the nudge did you?"

"Yeah…."

"Well imagine how annoying that's going to be come tonight when this place is busier." Jiraiya grinned wickedly and patted the blonde spikes again. "Hope you're as smart as you look kid."

And he decided to leave Naruto there to figure it out. It was getting later in the day now and he had to start figuring out what it was that Orochimaru had offered Tsunade. If he did not things would go very south very fast. But Naruto had hit a very potent observation during their little chat. Tsunade did not _**want**_ to be found. And if she refused to return to be Hokage he was going to be backed into a corner with very little options.

Or Kakashi was going to be tapped and he was too damn young for that yet.

He found the local dice parlor and leaned up against the wall by the door. He only momentarily looked into the window to confirm that was where Tsunade was and then stood outside watching the people walk by in their busy, uncomplicated lives.

Sometimes he was jealous and that was why he played the part of the traveling artist. None of these people really knew anything about the constant power struggles and politics that revolved around their safety and their security. If he had not been born in a Ninja village he would be nothing more than an old man spending his days on the road.

But there was great satisfaction in his position and his skill and something told him he would have just ended up at the same destination.

The hours passed slowly until finally Tsunade hit her limit or she ran out of cash and she came stalking out of the door, grumbling and cursing under her breath.

"Ah finally had enough huh?" Jiraiya called out and she whipped around to glare at him with those intense caramel colored eyes. "What do you say to a drink? It's been a long time, Tsunade-hime. My treat!"

She stood there like a statue for a few minutes before sighing heavily and closing her eyes. She shook her head a little but walked back over and he pushed off from the wall to start walking towards the little dive he had found that was tucked away and private. She had not refused the request, which was a start.

Their walk was a silent one. Tsunade glaring around them and he smiling like a goofy teenager all over again. He held up the flap and used his other hand to gesture her in. She huffed indignantly but otherwise entered and took up a stool at the modest stall. They both signaled the scruffy guy behind the counter and he went about securing the sake while they sat on in silence.

For the first couple of rounds they merely sat together in companionable silence each taking sips from the delicate white dishes of alcohol. It would be awkward to anyone else watching, hell they probably looked like two strangers to the server, except that they had walked in together.

Sooner or later someone had to break the ice and he leaned forward to ogle the blonde woman beside him. She really did still look like she had in her twenties when they were all Jounin and a team blissfully unaware of their fates.

"You've become even more beautiful…"

"You haven't changed a bit." Tsunade smirked over at him, the two long strips of blonde hair framing what used to be such a carefree face whenever they met before. Tragedy had taken its toll on at least one of her features; the smirk did not in the least reach her eyes. "You know I wouldn't date you in a million years you lecher."

"Not like I'm interested anyway." He poked back and hoisted a dish in a semi toast. "I'm not like these other fools, I know your real age."

"You baka." She snorted and down another dish in a gulp. He reached over and filled it again and they slipped into silence again.

Finally when the blush finally seemed to reach her cheeks he decided to approach her from another angle; and angle he knew had to be bugging her. "So are you worried?"

"About what?"

"Naruto…"

She hesitated slightly and her gaze was solely locked ahead of her to the wall of the stall. Finally though she did respond.

"No…"

"Heh, I don't believe that, you acted too childishly towards a child for me to even consider you weren't thinking about it. It's not even a fair bet you made, you were always so reckless…"

"I'm not reckless…"

"Oh really? Going to meet up with Orochimaru are you?"

She froze but otherwise made no move to discount him or agree. She just sat there motionless.

"Shizune usually doesn't hover that much unless something's wrong and I know he's here." He pressed forward, taking his time to savor the alcohol and the chance to get what needed to be said out of the way. There was a good chance she would pummel him but it had to be said. "I'm not sure what sort of deal he offered you but don't' make such a hasty decision."

Tsunade deflated a little, both hands coming to cup around the sake dish forgotten in front of her. Jiraiya was on the right track but she would not give up what it was Orochimaru was offering her in return for her services. There was a deal on the table and she was still trying to decide.

"I should probably make one thing clear."

She turned her eyes to him from behind those golden locks of hers and frowned. They both knew this game well enough to know what Jiraiya was going to say but it had to be said.

"If you ever do anything that betrays the Leaf…I will kill you."

"It has nothing to do with me…"

"It has everything to do with you. I know somewhere you still care for the safety for those that live in the village…"

"Enough of the lecture." She barked. It was backed with enough of killer intent to silence him. It was fine; he had said his peace anyway. There was little else to say really. She had to choose for herself where her loyalties were and if she did decide to aid Orochimaru well then his team was officially dead and it was his job to protect Konoha at all costs.

They returned to their drinking and silence. Slowly though Tsunade's shoulders began to droop a little and the anger on display in her features turned to something else entirely.

"Where did you find that brat? Why did you bring him along?"

"Shouldn't a teacher be teaching his pupil?" Jiraiya shrugged nonchalantly. "They're an awful a lot alike aren't they? They're even the same age…"

The conversation ended at that because Tsunade stood and just walked back into the busy streets of Tanzaku. She offered no parting words or any indication that she agreed with Jiraiya. He had not told her the truth that he brought the 'brat' to protect him and who he was, but the other reason had been because Naruto looked similar to and acted similar to Tsunade's little brother Nawaki.

And her question told him exactly what he wanted to hear. Naruto had become a sore subject because of that strong resemblance to Nawaki.

Now all she had to do was learn to believe in someone again and he hoped she could make the right choice.

* * *

Three days began to feel like eternity.

It had only been three days since two faces from her past had shown up and both with offers for her to consider. Both offers seemed like impossible choices but it was clear that it was one or the other.

On one hand there was Orochimaru whose intentions were very clear and very destructive. If she healed his arms he would merely return to Konoha to finish what he had started. But she would have Dan and Nawaki back with her.

But it was entirely possible that Orochimaru was bluffing. He would have her heal his arms and then go back on their deal and carry out what he wanted.

Then there was Jiraiya and that blonde brat he had drug along with him. The village wanted her as Fifth Hokage. It was just as impossible as the first choice; there was no way she could return to that village. There were too many memories left behind and if she went back she would have to face them again.

"_It's not just a necklace...the village is Grandpa's treasure…I will protect it. I will be Hokage…" _

She reached down and gripped at the familiar teal blue necklace and fought the onslaught of memories. It was still so fresh even after all those years…she had given him that necklace on his twelfth birthday because he was so determined to follow in their Grandfather's footsteps. He wanted to be Hokage, it was his dream.

She huddled against the cool wood of the tall arch at the entrance of Tanzaku. It was peaceful up above all the other people below who had no idea what was going on in their midst. That was Nawaki's dream, to protect Konoha, to be Hokage to protect people like those below her from any kind of harm if it was within his power to do so.

But he died not long after she had given him that present. It was the only indication of who it was when they brought the body back. Jiraiya had tried to soften the blow, to deflect her, but Orochimaru, cold-hearted and practical Orochimaru, made it clear to her not to be so reckless. Children were impressionable and Nawaki had only been twelve. She should not have given him a reason to believe that he could at that age.

It was too bad she never learned that lesson. Shortly thereafter she met Dan and she was foolish enough to believe again. He too wanted to be Hokage, to protect those in the Leaf that he loved so dearly. She believed again and gave him the object still clutched in her hands.

It was no wonder Shizune was so upset that she had wagered it with that boy. It really did seem that death followed the blue crystal every where it went except for her. Perhaps Grandfather had cursed the charm to only accept those of their bloodline, not that she could ever see him doing such a thing, but it certainly seemed plausible by this point.

Shizune was probably off following that boy. She did not understand why Shizune stayed with her after so long, she knew the woman was homesick, and that was why she met Naruto in the first place. She had befriended him to get word of Konoha. Dan had been Shizune's uncle and how Tsunade had met her. The little Genin Dan had introduced her to had been eager and willing, now Shizune seemed sad and worrisome.

"_I've done that to her…why does she still care? I couldn't save Dan…she should hate me for letting her only uncle die…why doesn't she just leave already…she could go back with them…"_

It was another fact Tsunade was willing to bet on. That boy, Jiraiya's boy, had to strike a chord with Shizune as well. His dream was identical to Dan's and Nawaki's. Shizune wanted Jiraiya and Naruto to intervene and as much as that should anger her it only filled her with regret. She had denied Shizune the chance at a life in the village.

But she had a chance to remedy that situation, she now had an open invitation back to Konoha she was just too afraid to take it. She was at war with herself. If she went back she would have to face all those horrid memories and be responsible for the safety for a whole village and she was not sure she could handle such a task; such a burden

But if she went back she could fulfill Dan and Nawaki's dream. She could be Hokage for them…she could honor their memory by doing as they would have done.

And yet…

"I'm surprised you're not in your usual spot."

Tsunade sat up and glared above her where the voice had come from. Instead of Jiraiya standing there, like she wanted to believe, it was that blonde brat of his. Naruto stood atop the bar above her head, his eyes turned upwards to the stars glittering above them.

He was scratched all to hell, he looked exhausted, but yet he stood there calm and steady as a seasoned Shinobi. She had not even sensed him come into her space, she had been so preoccupied with the past.

"Oh and where's that?" Tsunade snarled back and frowned. How dare he assume he knew her and her habits. How dare he get the slip on her when she should have been more aware.

"The place with all the slot machines in it a few blocks from here." Naruto pointed behind him without actually turning to look at her. His posture was stiff and formal, he was confident but he was not relaxed enough to drop his guard around her. And worse of all he was right, she had been frequenting the slot machines that allowed her to merely hit a button to gamble and be preoccupied with her thoughts.

"You just think you're so clever." She huffed and turned her head to watch the streets below. "And what is it you want?"

He was silent at first. Tsunade finally returned her gaze to the small blonde standing nearby and found herself curious as to his purpose, his life, and his determination. She was insane….why did these idiots who held high hopes of being Hokage gravitate towards her? Why did she keep falling into this same pattern of belief and failure? Let the little brat rush headlong into his own death what did it matter to her? Why SHOULD it matter to her?

"I want to change our bet."

"Ah, too late to back out now brat." Tsunade chuckled and relaxed a little. He had come to his senses in the past few days and knew he was in over his head. That gave her a little bit of satisfaction but it was also a bit of a relief. "A man never goes back on his word."

"I'm not backing out." He growled and slid till he was standing upside down ahead of her, his feet neatly stuck to the smooth wood above him. Those blue eyes had a determination in them and she suddenly was second guessing his purpose for being there. "I want to change the reward."

"Oh? How so?" Tsunade narrowed her eyes and casually played with the necklace around her neck. Anyone else would know what the necklace was and go after it. It was very rare and very priceless; the kid could live off the earnings forever in comfort if he wanted to. But then again he was a boy, what interest did they have in trinkets…

"I don't need you to recognize me, I believe in myself and that's all I need." Naruto flat out came out with it. "You can keep your recognition. But I want a promise from you, if I end up mastering the Rasengan."

"Hmmm interesting, and just what is this promise you want?"

"I want you to promise to come back to Konoha."

"HA! Like I would promise such a thing. Did Jiraiya put you up to this you little snot nosed…"

"I could care less if you become Hokage or not." Naruto cut her off and shook his head. It stunned her momentarily. If he did not want her back to be Hokage why did he want her to go back at all? "But you are a medical specialist aren't you? That's what the perv keeps telling me…"

"I am."

"Okay then. If I win our bet I want you to come back to Konoha with us and help my teammates." Naruto let his feet come loose and flipped to land just ahead of her. "They are trapped in a Genjutsu because of me and no one else seems able to release them. It's like they are in a coma. I don't care if you turn tail and run after you help them but that's all I want."

"How selfless of you…" Tsunade muttered and averted her gaze again.

"No if I was selfless I'd make you come back to become the Fifth, who wants Pervy Sage doing it? I'm being selfish because they're my teammates and I only really care that they get help." Naruto frowned and crossed his arms in front of him. He almost seemed nervous about the whole affair now that it was out in the open. If she had to say he almost looked guilty about his desire to help his teammates. "So do we have a deal then?"

Tsunade tried to read him as hard as she could. She still felt fairly confident that the boy could not master such a high ranking jutsu in a mere week and they were already three days into the bet. He only had four days now to figure out the technique.

But there was something about his determination to change the wager to meet his needs; it spoke volumes for his belief to finish what he started. Was he close to figuring it out and wanted to change the bet more to his favor? Or was he trying to get her to back out of the bet?

"Fine, it's not like it matters, I still don't think you can master it."

"Heh." The little laugh was almost just like Jiraiya's and she glanced up at the boy, grinning like a mad man watching at some invisible spot out in the darkness. "Think all you want but I will figure it out and then you have to stick to our bet. **Ninja** shouldn't go back on their words."

And then he was off. From beneath her she felt another chakra push off and she watched after Naruto to see the tan and black dog following close behind him, tail up and ears swiveling. That damn mutt had been there that whole time as well? Had she really fallen so far as to be blindsided by a damn Genin and his puppy or was she really underestimating the boy?

Just who the hell was this kid?

Whoever he was he had a persistent habit of getting under your skin and sticking there. As she watched him leave the town out into the darkness beyond, she could not help but let his parting words repeat in her head.

_Ninja shouldn't go back on their words._

* * *

**Author Note X2: **Yeah I know short and somewhat angsty but we needs it outta the way :D Somewhat technical as well. I will admit I am winging it on the seals thing. It does seem as if seals can work for anything and the way I understand "daddy's" little "flash" trick working the kunai have seals on them that he 'knows' when they're thrown and can go to em. So if it all seems like Jibberish bets are it is but it's how I see the known examples of sealing jutsu so far in the series.

Again a thousand pardons for my dropping off the face of the earth for a month. I wasn't inactive persay…I probably have the chapter following the next one pretty much done cause yeah…plot bunnies wanted me to go to THAT chapter instead of this one first


	26. The Legendary Three

**The Fox and the Hound**

**Chapter 20: **The Legendary Three

**Chapter Summary: **What is Tsunade's choice and can Naruto really stop a Sannin from her goal?

**Author Note: **Moving right along peoples. I gotta make up for the inactivity XD. I do feel bad about this being pretty similar to cannon and there's a high likely hood you all are gonna burn me at the stake …. But we just need to add some players and change the Rasengan a bit and then move on… at some point I will remerge this with the following chapter cause they were meant to be together anyway but yeah.... that got delayed.

P.S. thanks fergnerd for spurring me back into action :D

* * *

Naruto frowned as he sat cross-legged on the bed he had just made moments ago in the hotel room. Shizune sat across from him just on the edge of the bed the perv usually occupied in a much more proper sit but the look on her face was clear. She was really worried about something.

It was a look that had been growing for the past six days. Shizune had been coming to the room to find him in the mornings and they both would go down for breakfast and just talk. TonTon and Ririshii would be nearby with Riri dozing in a sun spot while TonTon lay nearby keeping watch. It had been a very nice 'routine' they had set up and after they were finished she went to find her master and Naruto went to train.

But today was different on a lot of levels. Today was the day the bet was up. Tsunade would be looking to shove his face in the dirt and he was going to be proving her wrong. And yet when Shizune came in she merely came in, sat down and begun to wring her hands in front of her while TonTon oinked and nuzzled her arm.

Naruto had shared a looked with Riri before the shepherd had gone over and laid his head in Shizune's lap. Shizune smiled only slightly and began to stroke the smooth fur between his ears.

"Is everything alright Shizune?" Naruto finally found the courage to ask the woman after a few moments had passed. She stopped petting Riri and glanced up at him, the dark eyes looking very hollow and there were circles under her eyes. He really hated to see her upset but she had been progressively getting worse as the week went on. "You seem kind of out of it today."

"I'm sorry Naruto-kun, I just…" She cut herself off and looked away, almost looking ashamed.

"Is it because of the old lady?" Naruto lowered his voice and his head, trying to catch Shizune's eyes again. Usually if she was upset it was because of Tsunade losing a good bit of money or something the woman had said inadvertently. It was a good gamble to assume that it was because of the older woman that Shizune seemed so…lost.

"I don't know where she is." Shizune admitted and began to pet at Riri again.

"I wouldn't worry about it. Pervy Sage hasn't come back either and he was not at his usual bar last night so who knows where he is…maybe they're together or something."

Naruto had to admit that the little sensory seal that Jiraiya was having him toy with becoming useful the more he toyed with the thing. At first it drove him nuts, always giving a little mental nudge when someone came and went from the bar…but as the week went on he found ways of making it selective. It still bothered him some but he defiantly knew Jiraiya had not entered the establishment last night. His was a distinctive chakra that he finally became accustomed to.

"But today's the day that…" Shizune started to say but again stopped herself and glanced behind to TonTon who oinked worriedly as well.

"Today is the day I show her who's boss." Naruto puffed up proudly and tried to cheer up the dark-haired woman. Shizune was so nice it was hard not to like her so quickly. She reminded him of a worried older sister even though he did not want her to worry so much. "When she sees the Rasengan you guys are going to have to come back to Konoha with us."

Shizune went blank as she blinked at him and then down to his hand and then back up to meet his eyes. She expressed her concerns to him many mornings about his training regime. She was worried he would overdo it just like Jiraiya had been hinting at when he dangled the seals out in front of him as a distraction. But Naruto had spoken the truth when he said Tsunade should not have told him 'no'.

He had been aiming to prove them all wrong.

"You…you mastered it?"

"Yep!" Naruto grinned and nodded energetically. He had hardly slept the night before because he was eager to get back on the road towards home. Tsunade made a deal with him and he meant to have her keep it. "Well at least I think I did. It certainly looks like Jiraiya's example."

"But…you…how could you have done so in such a short amount of time?" Shizune glanced at the window and she at least stopped moving her hands. "Naruto, you are really surprising do you know that?"

"Yeah I get that a lot." Naruto blushed and stood up on the bed. "We should go find those two so we can show em. Maybe then she'll stop calling it a stupid dream…"

"I'm too afraid to know where she is." Shizune deflated again and Naruto blinked. He made the mistake of reminding her of her worry.

"You mean you know where she is then?"

"She's probably meeting Orochimaru." Shizune admitted guiltily. "Today was the end of the week he gave her to come up with an answer."

"An answer? What kind of an answer?"

"He wanted her to heal his arms so he could finish what he started in Konoha." Shizune's eyes dropped and she shuddered at the thought. "He offered to bring back her little brother and my uncle Dan in return. I never thought she would go through with it but she was not in the room this morning and she's only gotten more distant as the week's gone on…"

"What?! What are we doing here then?" Naruto made a quick snag for his kunai pouch and scroll bag. Ririshii jumped up as well and began nudging the window open to get out. "We gotta stop her!"

Shizune merely sat still for a while before standing smoothly and nodding in agreement. She came up beside him and patted his shoulder a bit. "I should stop her Naruto; I should have stopped her before now. You should stay here where it's safe Naruto."

Just as she stuck her head out the window a kunai went whizzing past her head. It caused her to stop back in shock and it caused Naruto and Riri to move forward. When Naruto stuck his head out the window he was surprised to find Jiraiya leaning up against the outside of the hotel heavily and he looked unsteady, like he had just run a long distance.

"Oi, what the hell happened to you?" He rushed forward to stand near the man and just waited to see what was going on. "You look sick…"

"Shizune…" Jiraiya ground out and the dark-haired medic swallowed and stood at attention near the window and Riri. "Where were they meeting?"

An in that instant Naruto's perception changed. Gone was the goofy old pervert, replaced by this towering man who for all intents purposes was angry. He was angry at being duped by a former teammate and angry about her betrayal to the village. Even though Jiraiya was addressing Shizune he inwardly flinched at the tone.

Even with the threat behind his words Jiraiya did not seem 'well' and after a few moments he sat heavily next to the balcony outside of the windows and panted.

"Master Jiraiya." Shizune came forward tentatively to inspect him and Naruto stepped back a ways to allow her. Something was defiantly wrong with the older man he was just not sure what.

Ririshii had begun to slink forward to sniff at Jiraiya, TonTon just behind his heels, but he suddenly stopped and perked up his ears. For a second he was completely focused on the alleyway across from them, ears erect and nose moving. Suddenly he began to raise his hackles and snarling. When the snarl turned particularly nasty Naruto turned to the dog to follow his line of sight but could not see anything as the cause.

"Riri?" He whispered uncertainly to the dog who did not even turn his eyes up towards him momentarily to confirm he had heard Naruto.

"Kabuto."

Naruto swore under his breath and fingered a kunai out of his pouch. Kabuto's was a scent Riri would know well because the gray-haired teen had attacked him after the preliminary rounds of the third round. At the time they were home and Riri was still hindered by the wound in his leg but he remembered that attack just like Naruto did.

It stood to reason that Orochimaru was truly here now. Kabuto was his little spy of course he was here and that just made it all the more real.

"Can you flush him out?" Naruto reached down to rub at the shoulders of the dog, finding each muscle tight and ready to spring. He was not sure flushing the spy would be a good idea, with Jiraiya acting like he was but out in the open they could at least defend themselves from him.

"Leave it." Jiraiya snarled. Naruto turned to see the old man's eyes in that same direction. "He won't come at us in this big of a group. Damn Tsunade, she slipped me something last night..."

"Lady Tsunade." Shizune whispered as she knelt in front of the older man to try to alleviate whatever it was her mistress had done to Jiraiya.

"Even in her fallen state she's still a medical specialist. She was about the only one who could create a tasteless, odorless drug to use against other ninja without them knowing it."

"And you fell for it." Naruto frowned, his attention still on the alleyway and his other hand still gripped around his kunai. Kabuto had come for him before this and he really did not want to take any chances.

"I was trying to get her to talk." Jiraiya snuffed at his jab but did not dispute the fact of it all. He was drugged and something big was going down. "Shizune, where is she? Isn't it about time you told us what is going on?"

Shizune hung her head in defeat, hiding her eyes with the dark black hair of hers. "I'm sorry. I wanted to believe in Tsunade-sama. That's why I couldn't say anything before. But now… I've already explained to Naruto, and I'm sure you already know what he wants from her."

"Yes but I don't know what he's offering her that she's finding so hard to turn down."

"Nawaki and Dan."

"Shit." Jiraiya spat and waved his hand at Naruto. "Naruto find me some water. I've got to get this out of my system. I doubt it will be easy given who made it but this is turning into a bad situation. Where were they meeting?"

"Near the castles, where he first approached us."

"And where the gaping hole is." Naruto murmured as he climbed back into the window. He hurried and found a glass and began filling it with what Jiraiya wanted. He came back out and watched as the man gulped the liquid and held it back out; Shizune watching impatiently.

Jiraiya was right. This was a bad situation. If Tsunade ended up healing Orochimaru's arms the man would be dangerous again. Not that he assume that Orochimaru was ever 'not' dangerous but he was slightly less a threat when he could not form hand signs.

After several glasses, Jiraiya forced himself up and glanced down at Shizune. "Lead the way Shizune."

"But Master Jiraiya…"

"You can barely move!" Riri turned finally from the alley and voice his own concerns. Jiraiya seemed to ignore them all.

"It will clear the more I move and we can't be wasting any time." Jiraiya growled. "If she's already meeting him we might already be too late to stop it."

And with that the man started off. He seemed well enough to move freely now but Naruto did not buy his assessment. He shared a look with Riri before glancing back at the alleyway.

"He left a few moments ago. Apparently Jiraiya was right and he decided it too risky." Riri growled and nudged his hand. "Can we help?"

"I dunno if we'll help or if we'll only be in the way." Naruto cringed and saw Shizune take off after Jiraiya. "But we gotta stop this. If we don't he'll only go after Sasuke after she heals him…or worse…"

It was not hard to get to the castles when leaping over the rooftops of Tanzaku town. It was not too hard to catch up to Jiraiya and Shizune either. The dark haired woman had taken the lead, intent to find her master and stop whatever was taking place and Jiraiya, though he was able to move, was still sluggish. Naruto worriedly took sideways glances at him as they rushed along. If Jiraiya was unable to fight what would they do, how would they stop Orochimaru?

When Shizune finally leapt to the ground and rushed forward they knew they were getting close. As they came to the same hole in the wall Naruto immediately noticed the new crater in the middle of the pathway. Riri and TonTon saddled right up to the hole and began to sniff around the opposite sides of it while the humans just stared.

"Well it looks like someone lost their temper." Jiraiya smirked a little. "Hime's not happy."

"She refused the deal." Shizune was letting out a huge sigh of relief and smiling as she closed her eyes. "Thank goodness."

A loud boom caused them all to turn in the same direction and without a lost moment both TonTon and Riri were off in that direction, noses to the wind.

"It sounds like the negotiations fell through." Jiraiya was laughing a bit as they took up the pursuit. "Which is good for us, still we should be ready."

Naruto set himself for just that. This was still a battle but at least Tsunade had not betrayed the Leaf Village into Orochimaru's hands. Shizune seemed to harden as well and she took up the lead again. After a few miles they found the tree line beginning to thin and soon they were on a flat stretch of grass with rocks and random brush scattered around.

But the point of interest here was the center stage of this open battlefield. Kabuto had returned to his master's side to aid him it seemed because he now was poised to strike at Tsunade who was on her knees shaking in front of the younger man.

Orochimaru stood nearby silently watching as his right-hand man dealt with his former teammate and seemed rather pleased with the outcome so far.

"Damn it…" Jiraiya cursed and was reaching for a smoke pellet and was tossing it between the two. Just as it exploded and caused Kabuto to back away they put themselves squarely between him and Tsunade.

Up close it was confusing to see Tsunade in her state. As the smoke cleared it was apparent it was Kabuto who was wounded not her. He, Jiraiya and Riri stood at the front and Kabuto merely grinned sadistically as his fight was interrupted.

"Lady Tsunade…" Shizune was kneeling in front of the older woman and pulling at the edge of her robe to start wiping away the little splatters of blood that adorned her face and arms. "Why did you over do it? Why didn't you call for me? I'm your attendant after all…I should have been here…"

The old woman made no move to reply or to reprimand Shizune. She did not even look up to him or Jiraiya she just kept staring forward.

"Hey what's the matter with her?"

"She has hemophobia." Shizune muttered as she continued to try to wipe off the blood.

"hemo-what?"

"She's afraid of blood." Kabuto's voice interrupted and Naruto swung around to focus back on him as Ririshii began to snarl again. "A rather unorthodox fear for a medical ninja to have wouldn't you say? But one easily exploited on a battlefield."

Now it made sense. Kabuto had cut himself to make his fight easier. He had done it on purpose.

"Long time no see Jiraiya."

All attention turned to the man standing behind Kabuto. He certainly did not look like the man/woman that had attacked during the Chuunin exams. Still the power that radiated off of him was still just as chilling and Naruto snarled. This was Orochimaru, he could feel it.

"Yo, I see you haven't changed either, Orochimaru."

Kabuto flipped away from them, returning to Orochimaru's side.

"Shizune, you take the guy in the glasses and I'll deal with Orochimaru, after Tsunade does something about my chakra…"

"She won't budge Jiraiya-sama, I'm sorry." Shizune stopped what she was doing and glanced up. "You know how bad her fear was don't you? It's only gotten worse since then."

"Well damn, guess there's no other way about it then." Jiraiya returned his gaze on the two in front of them. "Naruto…take care of Tsunade and TonTon."

Naruto nodded and flipped out a kunai. Riri positioned himself at Tsunade's side as Shizune stood to join Jiraiya. He knew what Kabuto was capable of and he knew damn well that Orochimaru had merely been playing with them in the forest of death. It was just like a few months ago in Wave. They would only be in the way if they got involved…

But he still felt useless.

Orochimaru was unwinding a bandage around one of his hanging arms and Kabuto was reaching up to paint a line of blood down across a tattoo on the blackened arm. Jiraiya was already dragging a nail across his palm and at about the same time Kabuto and Jiraiya did the same thing; summoned.

The only difference was the results.

Naruto found himself staring up at two several story tall snakes, Orochimaru on one head and Kabuto on another. In front of Jiraiya was….

"Oh heya Naruto? What kind of trouble did you get yourself into this time?" Gamakichi was grinning as he hopped around to get a better view. Once the little orange frog saw what was behind him he quickly picked up the pace and headed for Riri's head. "What the hell did you summon me for? I can't help you with that!!"

"I'm not the one who did it!" Naruto barked back, biting on his thumb and snarling as he went through the hand signs. He knew this was a bad idea; Jiraiya had not recovered enough from the drug Tsunade had hit him with. Whatever it was it had screwed up how he used his chakra.

So he had a use after all.

"I see you're still a bumbling buffoon Jiraiya!" Orochimaru was beckoning from atop the snakes. "No matter, I will deal with you now!"

The snakes raised up and opened their mouths, prepared to strike. If Jiraiya could not summon he would have to. There was no other way.

Just as the snakes came barreling down Orochimaru's dark laugh echoing in his head all Naruto could do was slam his palm straight down and go with the one he knew the best.

As the smoke cleared one snake was speared through its neck on a three pronged spear and the other was backing away hissing angrily at a golden shield. Naruto straightened back up and smiled at the familiar black coat of Gamaken and nodded to Jiraiya. He could summon toads, that was about the limit of his usefulness but if it helped Jiraiya defend himself that was okay for him.

"So the little nine-tailed brat is your student is he Jiraiya?" Orochimaru snarled from atop the remaining snake. The one Gamaken speared finally puffed away and disappeared. Jiraiya came up beside Gamaken and patted his side as he glared upwards.

"I wouldn't worry about him. Your opponent is me."

"Heh, when you're hardly a challenge in your current state. Tell me did Tsunade intentionally hinder you or were you just too blind to see what was happening here?"

"Stay with her Naruto-kun." Shizune came up in front of Naruto and looked up. Naruto did in enough time to see Kabuto barreling downwards and Shizune reacting accordingly. He glanced back at Riri, Gamakichi and TonTon and Tsunade who still seemed unawares and slowly backed himself up till he stood beside his dog.

"You really get yourself into some interesting situations kid." Gamakichi sat up a little using Riri's head as a sitting post. "You just like trouble or what?"

"Trust me if I could have avoided him again I would have." Naruto looked back to Tsunade again and frowned. He had seen her handy work and knew she was stronger than this. How could something so small as a few drops of blood stop her like this?

It became hard to follow both fights at the same time. Jiraiya was clearly not in control of his chakra yet and Shizune was at an impasse with Kabuto. It became increasingly clear they were slightly outmatched at the present. Even with Gamaken holding off the snake so Jiraiya and Orochimaru could fight each other one on one, the snake bastard was gaining and edge.

And that moment of attention away from Kabuto cost him. Shizune went flying backwards after Kabuto came out of the ground. She hit hard and did not immediately get back up again. The snake that was left whipped out its tail and began to squeeze it around Gamaken, who was in vain trying to loosen it's hold with his spear. Finally the toad was forced to puff away to save himself.

"Shizune!" Naruto moved to help her but was cut off by Kabuto but he instinctively moved to stop the incoming attack. For a while he was able to parry each of the blows Kabuto aimed at him but he was unable to throw in anything of his own and finally Kabuto landed a hit with his palm on his leg and turned towards Ririshii, now moving to help him.

The dog was of little deterrence to the more experienced teen at first and he knocked both he and Gamakichi away. Naruto tried to stand but found his leg would not support his weight. Kabuto closed in on Tsunade, slowly and smiling, those glasses of his illuminated by the sunlight above. Tsunade's eyes had become focused on Shizune, not too far away from where she was. The dark-haired woman was unconscious now but she was alright but the way Tsunade was staring at her she seemed too dumbstruck to realize Kabuto was closing in on her.

"Snap out of it baa-chan!" Naruto found himself calling out and struggling to his knees. "You can help her, just snap out of it!"

For a moment he believed he had reached her just a little bit because Tsunade sat up suddenly and smacked Kabuto's outreached hand away. But then she froze again, realizing there was still blood on her arm. Kabuto snarled and began to kick at the older woman and the more he did the more Naruto's blood boiled.

"_Move, get up you idiot and MOVE. If he kills her Kakashi and Sasuke are never waking up…there won't be a new Hokage…get up!" _

Finally when he pushed off with his foot he moved, the leg responded enough for him to actually move forward and get himself between Tsunade and Kabuto. Just as he slid between them Kabuto's fist met with his forehead protector.

The brunt force of it hurt like hell but he did not flinch, he merely snarled at the silver-haired teen. He could feel the blood trickling down his nose and forehead but that was not stopping him. He was not letting this traitor hurt Tsunade anymore even if she would not defend herself.

Kabuto for his credit looked shocked by his appearance. Slowly though that shock was turning into blind rage at being stopped by some little kid.

"Still too stupid to recognize when you should get out."

"I'm not gonna let you bully her!" Naruto barked and began to gather his chakra in his left palm. This was a make and break move but he had no other options. "I'm going to end this now."

He swung outward once the ball had reached its peak but Kabuto dodged just as Naruto almost reached him. As Naruto landed just behind the other boy a sharp pain lanced back through his leg and he smacked down again. He snarled and put his hand to the spot of most intense pain.

"I managed to put a crack in your right femur bone and you're still moving. You are stubborn I give you that."

The attack had at least accomplished one thing; Kabuto's attention was off of Tsunade.

"_I can't hit him when he's moving; he's faster than I am especially with my leg like this." _He winced and tried to stand up once more. "_It would work if I could just HIT him but it's useless if I can't." _

A blue flame appeared around Kabuto's one hand as he began to smirk down at Naruto.

"But you're reckless. You should have just run away Naruto. You should know from our last encounter that I am on a whole other level than you."

The kick came swiftly and to his side. He winced and tried to soften the landing and tried to get ready for the next one. This was an example of someone who liked to hold his power over others. But that was something about bully's that he knew too well.

Kabuto would toy with him and belittle him because his real satisfaction would come from breaking his spirit. It was why the silver-haired spy had begun kicking and punching Tsunade; they needed her alive to fix Orochimaru's arms but he could not just let her sit there when she was defenseless.

"I'm not running away." He stood slowly, allowing his leg to slowly acclimate to his weight again. He kept his palm rigid at his side and waited. If the only problem was the fact that Kabuto was too fast for him to hit him if he was moving too, maybe the answer was just standing still and having Kabuto come to him.

But that was a problem in of itself. He could recreate the jutsu just like Jiraiya had shown him but he was unable to do so as quickly as Jiraiya could. And Kabuto was too fast so he would hit Naruto before he could summon up the chakra to its fullest potential.

"_Where's Riri, he's not with TonTon…." _Naruto began to search Riri but did not immediately see the dog and could not take his eyes off of Kabuto for too long.

"Why…."

Naruto took a quick glance behind him. The kicking and dodging from Kabuto had maneuvered him right back to being in front of Tsunade. She still was shaking and her eyes were still unfocused but she had spoken.

"Why are you…"

"Because I have to."

"No you don't…." Tsunade began to shake again.

Kabuto had enough and was coming forward at a desperate speed. Naruto had to ignore her to try to pull off the Rasengan in a short amount of time. He knew he was going to fail at that point but he had to try…

"That's enough! Get out of the way! Run…"

Just before Kabuto outstretched kunai reached its mark reached its mark the ground beneath him erupted. Out from the hole came two Riri's at his ankles and one that latched onto and held down his wrist with the kunai. Naruto blinked at the snarling mass of dogs that pinned Kabuto to the very spot just in front of him.

"_He…he went underground???"_

Kabuto snarled but found he was relatively stuck to the spot the two dogs around his ankles had him. Naruto knew what this was now. Riri knew he would try to go for the Rasengan against a stronger opponent. But he also knew how long he needed to get the ball of chakra going.

He had to take this chance that Riri was giving him. He got the Rasengan to the fullest point he had gotten it to so far and then thrust forward towards Kabuto's abdomen. Kabuto still had one free hand and reached out to snag at his jacket as he got near but his attack hit before he could really grab hold.

Naruto felt the building intensity of the impact and two of the dogs holding Kabuto puffed away in a cloud of smoke. The one around his wrist let go and landed back behind Naruto. With nothing holding him in place Kabuto finally flew back and away from Naruto with the force of the attack until he hit a large nearby stone.

Naruto panted, watching as the silver-haired man and the crumbling stone falling around his slumped form. He was still on his feet but he was not looking up just yet. Ririshii came slinking up around his legs and wrapped himself around Naruto, snarling in Kabuto's direction.

"_Did we get him? Did we get him???"_

Slowly Kabuto's head came up. His chest was all burnt up and he was bleeding and panting. The attack had hit so how was he still moving? Why was he smiling like he had just won? Naruto went to reach for another kunai, not sure what the Sound Ninja was going to pull out next but suddenly it felt like something had knocked the wind out of him.

He gasped desperately to try to get air into his lungs but found he could only cough and pant and blink as his vision started to get blurry.

"_What the hell? It never did this to me when I used trees as targets…what's wrong..why.. Shit why can't I …" _

"_**You foolish, foolish boy!" **_

Naruto found himself in darkness. It could not be. He glanced around in the darkness only to find one red glowing eye peering at him. Where was the cage that held the fox at bay? Where was the seal and the sewers and the other landmarks he had passed the only time he had been here.

"_**It is so dark because you left yourself open to your opponent during your little stunt." **_the eye narrowed in on him. Naruto flinched and reached up to his chest, around the area Kabuto had tried to grab hold of his jacket. _"__**He wasn't trying to grab you he was using his own jab." **_

"_Well shit…" _Naruto winced and held tightly to the fabric. "_What do we do?" _

"_**We? Well we die that's what we do." **_The fox was snorting angrily.

"_Die?" _Naruto froze. Was that really what had happened? No way, he was not dying, not yet. He had to make sure Tsunade got back to Konoha…he had to make sure Kakashi and Sasuke were alright. He couldn't die yet…he just couldn't…

"Please don't go…"

Naruto blinked for a moment. He felt heavy and like he was suffocating still but he was not in the cage with the fox. Instead he was looking up at a teal crystal hanging just below his chin. He focused in on it and began battling with his body's will to lose consciousness again. Slowly the feeling of suffocating was lessening but he still felt heavy… and like rain was hitting his chest.

_Where did my shirt go? Why is it raining, the sun was out before…wait…_ He finally focused in enough on what was attached to the crystal dangling above his head and saw Tsunade bent over him, her arms outstretched and down towards him. _I guess she is a medical ninja…is she crying??_

He finally got his arm to work enough and he reached up to finger the little crystal and smiled.

"Remember our bet…" Naruto smirked at her happily when she gasped and sat up straighter to watch him. "You won't go back on your word will you?"

"Naruto!" Riri's face covered his own as the dog rubbed his head around his neck and whimpered. He wanted to reach up and reassure Riri but found he was again losing the ability to focus on things too clearly.

"You stupid foolish boy…" Tsunade was sniffing. She clasped his hand away from the crystal and smiled a bit. "I know we changed our bet…but I want to see you wear this."

Tsunade could not explain exactly what had just happened or why she was crying but she knew what she had to do. She slipped the teal green gem off from around her neck and placed it around his while laying his head down gently. He was unconscious again but he was breathing at least and that was enough for her right now.

This boy…this little Genin…had done the impossible. He had learned the Rasengan within a week. And his words still resounded in her head just as they had days ago when he changed their bet: ninja should not go back on their word and he would not so she would not.

"Is he alright?" The dark-eyed dog was whining again, sniffing at Naruto's face then up to hers. She nodded and wiped at her eyes. This was not the time for crying and she knew she had to get her head back straight to deal with Orochimaru. She had hindered Jiraiya needlessly the night before and stubborn as he was the drug probably still was in his system.

A loud crash snapped both of them to attention and when she looked up all she could see was Orochimaru speeding towards her, a snake's head and a sword coming out of his mouth.

"_He's coming for the boy!" _She flinched. Orochimaru needed her alive, the only other sensible target was Naruto. Ririshii came to the same conclusion because the dog was standing square in front of Naruto and she, snarling viciously as the Snake Sannin barreled down upon them. "_No I can't…he'll…"_

And without a second thought she pushed the dog aside forcibly, landing the dog nearby with a thud and winced as the sword cut through her chest. She glared at Orochimaru as those yellow eyes opened wide and in surprise up at her, his sword still protruding from her back.

Finally the pain lanced up to her brain and she gasped slightly as Orochimaru jumped back and swallowed the sword again. Tsunade panted as she glared up at him…she had forgotten how utterly freaky her other teammate had been but now she remembered.

"Tsunade…you are the one person I wouldn't want to kill."

"Save it." Tsunade coughed and winced again. He had done a lot of damage with that one attack. She was going to have to use her trump card to get back on her feet again. "If I do nothing else, I will protect this boy…"

"Whatever for? He's only a lonely Genin…"

"If he is so insignificant…" Tsunade dug in her heels and stood in front of her former teammate. She still felt unsteady and was still preoccupied by the blood on her arms and chest, but she could not let him touch Naruto. "Then why are you trying to kill him?"

Things came to a standstill as Orochimaru snarled. She brought her hands together and formed the release seal and began to draw on the chakra stored behind her forehead. This was why she had created such a reservoir in the first place but she also knew the risk behind it.

"Lady Tsunade don't!!" Shizune's voice carried over the wind as the seal began to do what it was designed to do. At least Shizune was awake again; that meant she could leave the boy to her while she and Jiraiya finished this like they should have years ago.

Kabuto called out for Orochimaru and behind him she saw Jiraiya coming up from his hole. This was it then. The three of them had come to this so quickly and so easily before but this time around it was not going to be against a common enemy; it was going to be against each other.

She scrapped her thumb against a spot of blood, not even noting the texture of the act of it anymore, and drew a long line against her wrist, just as Orochimaru's 'boy' was doing for him. She took one more look to the boy behind her, the dog slinking up to protect said boy, and the little orange toad hanging on for dear life to the dog's back.

"_This ends here now. I should have done like they would have done a longtime ago and protected the village." _The dog's chocolate eyes pleaded up at her for a second before she returned her focus to the task at hand and she slammed her palm to the ground.

There was a reason they were called the Legendary three…and this was one of those reasons. The dog stood unsteadily atop the white slug's blue and white head. To her side was Gamabunta's familiar red body and ahead of them both was a towering purple snake with teal eyes.

This was ending here today, one way or another. For the sake of Dan and Nawaki's memory, for the sake of the blonde behind her who did not know when to give up, for the sake of a village she thought she had left behind.

And maybe perhaps for the sake of the old man who had always listened, always cared, and always tried to do his best to show her the way she was just too stubborn to see.

* * *

**Author note x2: **Okay before you all burn me at the stake for …'skipping' over the last part of this battle…hear me out. It essentially boils down to the same fight. Same shit happens because really Naruto is out of the picture and I feel bad enough for this one being 'cannonish' already. Two and this is guilty on my part…I really…REALLY want to be to the next chapter and in all honesty nothing changes so why rehash it. We're already here because we like and/or love Naruto so we know what happens here right?

Okay you can grab your torches and pitchforks. I feel bad for doing it but doing it all the same….hopefully following chapters will make up for this failure :D


	27. Homecoming

**The Fox and the Hound**

**Chapter 21: **Homecoming

**Chapter Summary: **Welcome home Tsunade. With the wayward Sannin returned and soon to become the Fifth Hokage Naruto can relax a little and have the medical ninja fix his teammates so things can go back to normal.

**Author Note: **UGH. Finally finished Final Fantasy but let me tell you, Farmville is an addictive game especially when all of your co-workers are playing it and bugging you about it. I know…I know…. I am HORRIBLE. That alongside the original story idea which has finally taken off in its own right. I guess it has affected updates for this and I am sorry for that. BUT Fun chapter is here, please don't eat me!!

P.S. the ending for Final Fantasy 13 disappointed me greatly. Well It was as pretty as everything that Squaresoft (sorry Enix) does but there was a HUGE gaping plot hole just left HANGING there and I no likey. I've gotten attached to these characters and I wanna know WHY someone was not included in the ending 'reunion' that took place. Damn it Square you're endings are BETTER than this..MORE EPIC than this..FIX IT!

* * *

Tsunade frowned and shut the door behind her. She really should not have been surprised that the elders were adamant on all the pomp and circumstance of her becoming the Fifth Hokage. She had hoped to avoid all the ceremony and announcements but even now there were ninja and attendants going around the village announcing her return.

Shizune was happily behind her holding TonTon. The dark-haired woman had been positively excited to return to the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Even now, as she voiced her concerns over Tsunade's disrespectful nature, she had a new light in her eyes. She was home after all.

And that should be Tsunade's view as well but she still held her doubts. Sure she wanted to do this for Dan and Nawaki's memory but their memory was almost everywhere she turned. The tower, the road to the academy, the gates…. They were there and everywhere in this village. She was starting to doubt her sanity for a moment before she was reminded exactly WHY she was here.

It certainly was not to be Hokage…

"There you are!" Naruto came through a door and pointed wildly in her face. "You've been back an hour and you're already trying to ditch me. The bet was you came back to heal my teammates not run all over the village!"

"There are procedures here you little runt. If you're going to be Hokage you should start learning about the job." Tsunade poked him in the forehead and shoved him back a little bit. She had to smile a bit, however, because this was the true reason for being back in Konoha. "With that out of the way we can settle this bet so you'll stop bugging me."

Naruto seemed okay with this and turned to go right back out the door he had just entered. He lead the way purposefully and even took a few of the lesser known 'shortcuts' around the village till they were right outside the one place she knew better than her own home at one point.

With all that had happened during Orochimaru's failed plan to destroy the Leaf she was sure this place was quite busy. Outside the gates, Ririshii was curled up beneath a nearby tree. She found it odd that he was outside till she remembered 'dog' and sighed. The harried nurses and orderly's probably had enough trouble without a dog in the mix.

"Sasuke's in room 310 and ni…Sensei's in room 325." Naruto was muttering as they passed through the doorway and into the clean hallways of the hospital.

The place had not changed that much and she easily fell into step, lapping past Naruto and heading for the room numbers he had provided. Even after all these years she still knew this place inside and out and her reputation was still intact. As she passed the front desk and other nurses' stations along the way people stopped and pointed. Some even addressed her or began talking quietly to themselves.

When they reached the first room number Tsunade stopped outside the door and watched for a moment. There was a pink haired girl sitting on the uncomfortable chairs near the windows. It was a little unexpected because Jiraiya had tried to catch her up to speed while Naruto recuperated and he had said that the Uchiha clan had been all killed save for this one boy and the one who did the killings; Uchiha Itachi.

"_Perhaps a girlfriend?" _She pondered. The other surprise was the amount of books piled up around her feet and on an opposite chair. _"Those are medical books…" _

"Sakura!"

Naruto broke any semblance of peace the area had and interrupted the girl's reading. He rushed forward, all smiles and grins as the girl stood unsteadily her teal eyes solely on the blonde boy. "Naruto? You're back?!"

"I promised didn't I!" Naruto stopped just in front of her and then looked over his shoulder to Tsunade and Shizune. This was what he wanted, he wanted his team back together and for that she needed to do what she promised. "The old lady here's going to make everything right again!"

"Old lady? Naruto…." The girl seemed rather embarrassed on Naruto's behalf but Tsunade ignored it and walked in finally to assess the boy lying unaware in the hospital bed. He looked every bit of the Uchiha, the dark hair and wiry build. She was dead certain once she woke him up he would open his eyes to reveal dark black eyes as well.

She put his hand to his forehead and began digging around so to speak. This was an Uchiha Genjutsu after all, but the more she dug the more she found it was not just a Genjutsu it was an actual attack on the person's brain. No wonder no one had been able to rouse the boy because they probably had been merely trying to dispel the Genjutsu and not heal the underlying damage that had been done.

She felt the eyes of the two Genin and she glanced over. Naruto did not seem so worried about the outcome and neither did Sakura but her eyes were solely on her palm. She was completely focused on what it was Tsunade was doing, not its outcome. She glanced back over to the seat, now vacated, and the books still around. They were medical books and she was in a sense trying to teach herself the basics…

"_Was she trying to find the answer for herself? I wonder…"_

Finally the boy beneath her palm stirred and she removed her hand. He blinked a few times before sitting up to look around him. The Uchiha would be out of it for a few days as he got his equilibrium back but he would be otherwise fine.

"Sasuke you're back!" Naruto was grinning happily again and leaning forward on the bed.

"Sasuke…" the girl merely hugged the dark-haired boy briefly then turned that attention on Naruto. She hugged tightly around Naruto's neck and she even began crying a little bit. "Thank you Naruto…."

"Ah, don't mention it…" Naruto was blushing now and awkwardly trying to decide what to do about the girl around his neck. "She's gotta fix Kakashi-sensei too, so you stay here and keep Sasuke company till we're done…"

The girl nodded and let him go. Naruto almost seemed relieved at this and pointed at herself and Shizune. "Come on we're not done yet."

Shizune nodded and exited back to the hallway. Tsunade grinned to herself and to the pink-haired girl who was now bowing a bit to her as well. "Thank you, Ma'am."

"_Little tough guy doesn't know how to deal with girls…how interesting seeing as he's Jiraiya's student." _She pondered as she followed along like a little puppy on a string. She knew how to get where she was going but found it easier to lag behind this time. There was a new urgency in the boy's step as he dragged her along to her next 'appointment'.

Before his pace had been measured and steady; now he was already down the hallway waiting at a doorway waiting for her to catch up. Imagine her surprise to see a young silver-haired man who instantly struck her as 'Sakumo' even though she was damn sure it was not the Hatake who used to join Jiraiya and she after Orochimaru had defected. No it could not be him, he was dead. He had killed himself after being slandered beyond his breaking point for saving his teammates…

It had been another of her tabs in the 'I can never go back there' column and yet there she was staring at the clone of their dead friend and comrade. No it was not Sakumo, it was a Jounin who she was pretty certain had been only six or seven the last she had seen him.

"_Kakashi…" _she pondered as she moved forward to do as she had done with the Uchiha boy, Naruto's anxious gaze on her the entire time. Back in Tanzaku Naruto had merely said 'teammates', he had not said his 'sensei' and 'teammate'. But she had caught Naruto saying as such to the girl in the previous room. Perhaps it was an oversight, perhaps it was something else entirely, and it was odd that Naruto seemed more vested in this outcome than he had with the Uchiha boy's.

As before the gray-haired man sat up, blinking a few times to clear his vision and winced at least once at the amount of light in the room. One lone gray eye came up in a half-interested gaze to set upon her and then back down to the sheets. He did not open his other eye which had a scar over it but she did not question it or his reaction to her. Coming out of a couple weeks in that kind of coma she expected the lethargy and the confusion.

"_So let's see if I have this right. The three brats are Genin and are a team together and Kakashi here is the instructor. Those two came after Naruto and Kakashi got involved as did that Uchiha boy because his brother was there." _Tsunade put her hands on her hips and began shaking her head. "Honestly, getting caught by something so simple. I thought you were supposed to be a genius."

"Sorry…" Kakashi deflated a little under her scrutiny but at least he was responsive. Suddenly though he seemed to remember something and sat up rigid. "Naruto…"

At this the anxious energy of the blonde in question finally came to a head and he darted forward, much to Tsunade and Shizune's surprise, and latched himself around the older man's chest. Tsunade raised an eyebrow at Shizune who seemed just as confused by the reaction until Naruto finally muttered something almost too softly for either one of them to hear.

"Nii-san."

Tsunade stepped back mentally for a moment. This was not the typical student-teacher bond she was witnessing and looking back on what had transpired it made a little more sense that Naruto was determined she only return to Konoha to heal his teammates, to hell if she became Hokage or not.

"You're alright?" Kakashi's voice broke her train of thought and she watched as the silver-haired 'boy' reached up to ruffle the unkempt blonde spikes just below his chest. "You three got away from them?"

"Hai, Nii-san." Naruto nodded against Kakashi's chest and seemed to hold tighter. "I summoned Gamaken to distract them long enough and Gai-sensei…."

"You didn't run?" Kakashi interrupted the boy and his tone seemed to harden a bit. "You should have run."

"I wasn't leaving you or Sasuke…" Naruto finally let go and sat back up to glare at Kakashi. He was only rewarded with a stern look back in response. "I wasn't."

Tsunade really smiled then. This was definitely not a student-teacher interaction. Despite Naruto having called the Jounin brother, this was more of a father-son discussion than anything else; where the father was upset that the son had put himself in harm's way when he should not have and the son was upset that the father thought he would simply abandon him.

"I don't think you're going to win this one, he's a stubborn brat." Tsunade found herself smirking and drawing both of their attention back to her and Shizune who was quietly grinning behind her. Kakashi seemed to regain what little sense of 'Shinobi' he had left and seemed to try to distance himself from the whole thing but failed. "He's also kind of reckless but the good kind of reckless I suppose."

"Lady Tsunade." Kakashi bowed his head a bit to her and she scoffed.

"I see you haven't forgotten your manners." She glanced out the window then back to the two in front of her. "But I'm still waiting for that explanation of how you got beaten by a couple of thugs."

She really was not expecting an answer. She saw the answer as soon as Naruto let his guard down and with what Jiraiya had already explained it helped, even though it still made her blood boil the more she thought about it.

Jiraiya's prized student was forced to seal a demon into a newborn child and that child was Naruto. It brought frightening clarity to Ririshii's reaction to her that first night and how Naruto was completely disrespectful and avoidant of her at first. People did not LIKE him because of what the Fourth had done. And it was because of that inhabitant that Itachi and Kisame had entered Konoha whilst their guard was low to try to snatch the boy away.

And that was why Kakashi had ended up how he had. Not only was he trying to defend Naruto from those who would kill him to attain the power of the Nine-tailed fox; but he was also trying to keep himself between an enraged pre-teen whose whole family was wiped out by his older brother.

"Jiraiya-sama convinced you to return." Kakashi eyed her suspiciously at first then seemed to shrug it off.

"He did no such thing." Tsunade shook her head and glanced at the mess of blonde hair pointed towards her. From the moment Kakashi woke from his stupor she might as well no longer existed and Naruto was adamant to watch Kakashi. He was making sure she had mended him correctly. "It was more along the lines of this annoying brat who would not leave me alone."

"Wait…what?" Naruto's head whipped around and he was glaring up at her. "Try the other way around. I'm pretty sure you were spying on me a couple times. You were probably trying to screw up my training so I wouldn't win our bet!"

"I was not." Tsunade smiled sweetly knowing she was about to get the boy in a lot of trouble but she owed him at this point. He could not just think he could boss her around, bet or no bet, and she wanted to see what happened. "I was fairly certain you would not learn the Rasengan in a week and was merely watching you throw yourself up against a brick wall to entertain myself."

"Showed you didn't it." Naruto grinned wickedly, their old argument coming up as it had during the few days travel back to Konoha. Naruto brought out the necklace and dangled it in front of her. "Learned it and saved your butt."

"Hmph. And who had to turn around and save you?" Tsunade got in his face and poked at his nose.

"Hey! I was helping you!" Naruto was slowly rising to the bait and she grinned to herself as the stupor the Jounin was in cleared the rest of the way and he squinted his one open eye at Naruto. "If I hadn't Kabuto would have just kept punching you and forced you to fix whatever the old man did to Orochimaru."

"Wait…Kabuto?"

Tsunade smirked as the silver-haired man entered the conversation predictably. She was about to continue on, detailing wonderfully just how much of a reckless chance the boy had taken just to watch the resulting reaction to it but a presence at her back stopped her and she glanced over her shoulder.

"Lady Tsunade." Maito Gai was peering around the doorway. He almost looked timid and sheepish, which was unusual and she quirked an eyebrow in question. "If I could bother you but for a moment, my student Lee…"

Tsunade sighed a little bit. This was part of the expected reaction to her homecoming was it not? Did she not assume that once word of her return got around the village, any and all medical related anomalies would be shoved onto her for her review? She expected it but it did not make it any easier to deal with.

"Oh yeah. Lee!" Naruto turned from his brother's questioning eye and glanced up at Tsunade. "He was really hurt from the Chuunin exams. Come on...I bet you can fix him up too…"

Naruto made a move to finally remove himself from Kakashi's bed and lead the way to what she could guess was Lee but was snagged by the collar of his shirt.

"Oh no you don't. I want to hear more about what you got yourself into while I was out." Kakashi was spearing the boy and Tsunade had to laugh as she exited the room. She would later have to do some digging on this odd pair but for the moment she allowed Gai to lead her to the rehabilitation section of the hospital.

There in a darkened hallway was a boy on a crutch that looked so much like Gai, Tsunade almost balked. "This is your _student _Gai?"

"YES! He's more than a student, he's like a son." Gai was smiling proudly as he waved at the boy who had stopped to watch them. "Lee, look who's finally arrived! Lady Tsunade!"

The boy in question merely blinked at his teacher before turning a hopeful gaze upon her. She frowned. Even from her distance she could tell something horrible had happened to the boy during the exams. In all honesty it was a wonder he could walk even with the crutch.

"I see."

She moved forward slowly, dreading what was probably the outcome of this. It looked like severe damage to his back and left side but even worse would be if there was nerve damage or fragmented bone. This was the worst part of being a medic. Even from a distance both she and Shizune were aware of what most likely was the cause and the prognosis.

To tell both boy and teacher that would probably result in a lot of yelling since she was dealing with Gai. Still it had to be done, it had to be faced, just like all those memories scattered around the village like floating leaves.

* * *

"I just can't understand it."

Sakura glanced up from the book she had gotten from the medical library a few doors down. She pared down the amount of them since a day ago when that woman who Naruto brought with him had apparently healed Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei of the Genjutsu that held them captive for so many weeks.

All day yesterday Sasuke alternated between periods of sitting and staring or just plain sleeping but the dark-haired assistant that had been in the background had come back later and explained to her what had happened. It was normal for Sasuke to be out-of-sorts after such an ordeal.

But she found herself worrying about the mark on his shoulder and the result meeting with his brother was going to have.

Just like all the other girls in their class they knew what happened to Sasuke's family. They all knew what Sasuke's true goal was and mistook it for determination and dedication. Even their first team meeting had the Uchiha stating his goals: to kill a certain man.

And that man had strolled right into Konoha and made short work of Sasuke and then moved on to Sensei. Obviously he was on another level and Sakura feared the backlash of it. Would Sasuke go back to that dark brooding nature that they had all found mysterious in school, or would he tap into that curse mark and try to catch up to the departed criminals?

Even worse; would he seek out Orochimaru to try and close the gap between himself and Itachi?

"What don't you understand Sasuke?" She asked tentatively, not sure why after so many quiet hours he had finally decided to speak. It certainly did not seem like it was directed towards her but she had to respond and see what he said.

"What happened? I don't get why he didn't just finish it? He could have, why didn't he?"

"Because Gai-sensei…"

"He could have done it the moment he stopped us, why didn't he?" Sasuke gripped the sheets under his hands and he closed his eyes tightly. "And what about Naruto? I haven't seen him…"

"Naruto…" Sakura whispered before playing with the edge of her sleeve up by her shoulder. "He's fine… he…he went with Jiraiya-sama to find the woman who healed you and sensei. I thought he would be here today but I haven't seen him and Riri's not outside."

"So they didn't get what they were after either. So what was the point of it?" Sasuke snarled and landed heavily back in the bed.

"You know?"

"Well yeah." Sasuke muttered and he reached his hand up to his eye. "It's like something on the edge of my vision whenever I use my Sharingan, another chakra that isn't his and its huge. So I asked him."

"I can't believe the Fourth could do something like that." Sakura found herself looking to the tree that Riri normally lay under whenever Naruto was around the hospital. "It has to be horrible to think about… I don't know why he can be so happy all the time…"

"I think just because it's him." Sasuke muttered and turned away from her. "And he's got us now…"

Sakura turned back to Sasuke, surprised by the answer. She expected him to be ranting and raving about his brother, about how he was not strong enough to even touch him. Instead he was just trying to figure out what had happened and why.

"Kakashi-sensei's still here." She offered out tentatively. "Maybe he knows where Naruto is. He can probably tell us what it is Itachi did."

"He's here too huh?" Sasuke sat back up and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

"Yeah, he got hit with the same thing you did." Sakura stood as well and placed her book on the end of the bed.

"Hmmm."

The two of them traveled along in silence down the hallways of the hospital. Sakura was now more familiar with the building and its layout than she ever believed she would be by now. She hated the idea that both Sasuke and Kakashi had to be hurt but it had given her a perfect opportunity to get to know a lot of the doctors and nurses in the building. Many had given her excellent starting points for learning medical ninjutsu.

And it was something she found herself soaking up quickly. Sure she had always been book smart but in practice she was learning this faster. Her chakra control let her be in precise control and it was perfect for the concentration and control this type of ninjutsu required.

When they started nearing the room Sakura knew Kakashi was staying she slowed her pace a little and Sasuke followed suit. They could hear a conversation going on in the distance and the closer they drew to Kakashi's room the more it seemed to be coming from his room. The loud, boisterous voice of a woman was leaking out into the hallway and Sakura smiled a little; it was Yoshida. She did not want to interrupt the older woman's 'fun' of poking at Kakashi-sensei but Sasuke was too curious now and parked nearby the slightly ajar door.

"So the rumor on the street is Lady Tsunade is back in town." Yoshida stood at the foot of Kakashi's bed. She was not in her usual 'doctor' outfit and looked like a regular villager paying a visit to a friend. But Sakura knew better and Yoshi was a 'normal' doctor who Kakashi seemed to know somehow. "Boy, I bet she ran you through the ringers."

Yoshi did not flinch as Kakashi-sensei glared up at her with that one lone eye of his and frowned. She merely puffed up proudly and wore a smug grin upon her face.

"You could not wait to get here to torture me could you, Yoshi-san?"

"It is one of the small pleasures we medics earn from this existence." Yoshi nodded happily, her dark chocolate hair coating around her shoulders and framing her rounded face. Sakura always thought her a pretty woman despite the fact she was a huge tomboy and had a more upfront personality. "It just makes it so much easier when it's you."

"Glad I can oblige Yoshi-san."

Sakura could not help but grin a little. She met Yoshi when she caught Yoshi berating an unconscious Kakashi. Even then Yoshi had been poking fun and teasing their teacher. She had to admit being curious as to how the normally cool, quiet, Jounin reacted to such an outgoing and confrontational person. It seemed his being nonchalant was his way of teasing Yoshi back and it only egged the woman on further.

"You always were such a gentleman." She shot back and then leaned onto her one leg and pointed down to Naruto; who was on an uncomfortable looking chair pulled up to the side of the bed, his head resting on his arms which were pillowed up on the edge of Kakashi's bed. It was a surprise to see him since she had not seen Riri outside, but even more was how Naruto was in the room; he was asleep there. "So, care to answer why the kid's in a mini coma? Normally by now he'd be moaning that we are interrupting 'nap' time."

Kakashi shrugged a little and pulled a red book up to his face. "I would assume he's exhausted."

"Exhausted? From what? It cannot take that much energy to sit and fret can it?"

"He hasn't been here Yoshi. I believe he's the reason Lady Tsunade is back in the village."

"Him?" Yoshi pointed again as if trying to further her point. Naruto remained oblivious to the whole conversation taking place around him. He looked rather peaceful to Sakura from their vantage point. "He's the reason Tsunade-sama is back in Konoha after how many years?"

"I believe that's what she said, yes."

"Huh, and how exactly did he pull that off?"

"I'm not really sure Yoshi. All I know is he went with Jiraiya to find Tsunade and all three just returned not too long ago." Kakashi sighed and glared over his book at the woman. "If you want a better run down of it perhaps you should ask Lady Tsunade herself what she meant. Nice knowing you by the way."

"As if I'm insane enough to do that." Yoshi snorted but smiled a bit. "So the runt went off with Jiraiya, how interesting. That still doesn't explain the lack of response."

She proceeded to reach down and start poking Naruto in the shoulder; rather harshly it looked like, while she grinned up at Kakashi.

"So not only do you enjoy torturing me, you have to torture him as well." Kakashi huffed and turned a page. "Honestly Yoshi, you are cruel."

"Quit dodging the question you baka."

"You're not going to leave until I answer you, are you?"

"Damn right I'm not."

Kakashi sighed heavily and locked eyes with Yoshi before burying his nose back in the book and begrudgingly giving the woman what she wanted. "Orochimaru was apparently after Lady Tsunade as well and there was a confrontation. Yakushi Kabuto was there, as Orochimaru's attendant and somehow or another he and Naruto met…rather forcibly."

"Yakushi, that kid was always odd. No surprise really where he ended up. So you're telling me he and Naruto got into it? What exactly happened?"

"Apparently he has adapted his medical ninjutsu to a point he can use it as a cutting weapon. He struck at Naruto while Naruto was defending Lady Tsunade." Kakashi muttered and both Sakura and Sasuke were surprised to see the Jounin's hand reach out unbidden and begin petting the blonde spikes still resting just below his hip. "I'm not real sure of the particulars, he keeps dodging the questions, but according to Tsunade he struck at his heart."

Yoshi withdrew her hand suddenly and gasped. Her gaze went down to Naruto then back up to Kakashi as if daring him to call it a joke.

"By all means he should be dead." Kakashi merely said into the unspoken question coming from Yoshi's stance. "The idiot purposefully put himself between a Sannin and an opponent he knows is out of his league."

"So that's why you're still here." Yoshi muttered, brushing back some of the locks away from her face. "Usually by the time you are able to walk under your own power you are out the door. Instead you seem to be taking a vacation. Everyone was worried you were still affected. This is it though isn't it? You're worried he still needs time to recover and if you're here, he's here and closer to someone that could help him if he needs it."

Kakashi merely glared at Yoshi but made no moves to disprove her theory. He merely growled something under his breath and turned his eye away. Yet his hand had yet to leave Naruto's head nor had he stopped the subconscious petting motion.

"Oh come off it Kashi." Kakashi's demeanor set Yoshi off and she was standing at full height again, her hands on her hips. "It won't kill you to admit you're worried. I sure as hell would be."

"Yoshi…"

"You can't really call him an idiot you know; he's just like you."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Kakashi groaned.

"Because it's the truth." Yoshi threw up her hands in a frustrated manner and Sakura backed up with Sasuke quietly. They were eavesdropping on a really private conversation all of the sudden but to move meant detection but to listen…

"How long have you had him for Kashi?"

Sakura froze. That was an odd question. They had only graduated a few months ago; Kakashi had not had any of them for longer than that.

Right?

Sasuke inched back up to the door and hungrily watched the exchange. Ever since Wave he had been sure Kakashi and Naruto knew each other better than they were letting on. Sakura had to admit now that maybe Sasuke was right, but it still seemed far-fetched. Naruto was an orphan, why would he know half the people he did know?

He acted like he knew Gai-sensei and Lee, as if he had known them for years. Maybe Kakashi was just another person Naruto knew? He was a prankster in school maybe he targeted people the ninja ranks just to prove he could and it led to his knowing a lot of those ninja he pranked?

"You know that."

"No I can make an educated guess; I want to hear it from you." Yoshi spearheaded Kakashi particularly hard with her eyes and frowned as the two of them started some unofficial staring contest. "How long have you had him for?"

Kakashi seemed just as livid as the woman did all of the sudden. He was glaring at her fully and for the first time since the battle with Zabuza they felt like he was truly angry, or upset. The staring continued until finally Kakashi ducked his gaze.

"Since he was four."

Sakura had to reach up to her mouth to stop herself from repeating the words Kakashi had just uttered. Sasuke straightened but grinned in some sense of self-satisfaction. They DID know each other! Kakashi had known Naruto since he was four years old? No the way they kept stating the question and the answer Kakashi 'had' Naruto, as in-possession…was Kakashi Naruto's guardian? Or was he a watch assigned to Naruto because of the demon fox?

"Since he was four. You've had him for eight years and you're shocked that he's like you? For a genius you're dumb, you know that right? You've practically raised him Kakashi, of course he's going to be like you, you're all he knows!"

There was a slight pause as the woman glared down at them both. Kakashi merely averted his gaze and pretended to be reading again.

"And what's with this idiot business? Why the hell do you think he put himself between Tsunade and that Yakushi kid?"

Kakashi made a motion to answer the question but Yoshi cut him off sharply and folded her arms again. "We both know it takes him a while to open up to people, so he certainly wasn't helping her because they were bosom buddies, now was he? No he was doing what any good Shinobi would have done; what you would have done. No one wants Jiraiya as Hokage, including the old pervert himself, Kami knows you aren't going to take the position so who else was there? Naruto did what any good, observant ninja would have done; Konoha NEEDS Tsunade and he saw that."

"You seem awfully well informed."

"A bonus of working here all the time." Yoshi practically growled back. "Really Kakashi is it that hard to admit that…"

"Okay I get it." Kakashi seemed to sigh in frustration and glared back up at the woman. "You've made your point. I should not have called him an idiot…stubborn might have been a better choice of words."

"And…."

Kakashi seethed at the prod from Yoshi. She wanted him to admit everything not just that part. It was in a sense why Sakura liked the woman; she was very confident and very self-assure. So confident in fact that she was not afraid to verbally abuse one of Konoha's top Jounin. She merely strode head first into what she had planned to do and did it.

Sakura wanted to be like her; maybe not act like her but to have that same confidence…

"Fine, yes, if it will get you to leave, I'm worried."

There was another pause in the room as Kakashi ducked his head behind that perverted book he read and seemed to hunch his shoulders more.

"It's too fast. For any of them, it's too fast." Kakashi muttered quietly. "Sasuke has been marked by Orochimaru, for who knows what purpose, Akatsuki has already made their move for Naruto and Sakura… she's just thrown into it all as an innocent bystander."

"Oh don't worry about her, I've seen to her." Yoshi smiled proudly.

"What did you do now?" Kakashi reached up to rub his nose and closed his eyes briefly.

"I gave her an idea and she ran with it." Yoshi chuckled. "She's just like Rin, even I can see that. So I introduced her to Tal and a few others around here. Hell from what Tal says you should hand her over to Tsunade; bets are she is going to excel at Medical Ninjutsu."

There was that name again. Sakura had heard Yoshi use it before and it only peaked her interest higher into figuring out who this 'Rin' person was.

"That type of chakra control can go either way, medical or Genjutsu."

"I suppose so but she does seem to taking a liking to it. I've caught her with a good deal of books lately."

"You've been spying on my Genin…"

"Maybe…." Yoshi twirled a strip of hair absently. "What? I'm nosey it's a well documented fact. And it's your fault really, you shouldn't tell me about them if you don't want me to worry about them."

"Of course, how careless of me." Kakashi rolled his eye and slid down a bit. "I will make sure to not repeat such a mistake in the future."

"Too late now, you baka." Yoshi flipped her hand a little and turned towards the door. "And I wouldn't worry too much about Naruto, he's smart enough. I doubt he'll get that far in over his head."

"Nice seeing you Yoshida-san" Kakashi muttered back in response. Yoshi merely chuckled and walked away. Their talk must have been over or the woman had gotten her shots in. As she exited the room she stopped and blinked at Sakura and Sasuke then grinned.

"Oh that's just perfect." Yoshi muttered to herself and waved to Sakura. "Don't let them off easy Sakura; let 'em have it for keeping secrets."

Sakura watched her go then turned back to the door. Kakashi was gazing at it patiently and she shuddered a bit. Bets were he knew they were there and that had been the reason he had tried to stop the conversation, not because he did not want to talk about it. So sheepishly she went in first and stood at the edge of the bed taking furtive glances at the older man and to Naruto.

Sasuke merely strode in and took another one of the chairs. Bets are he was still worn from being in a coma for weeks and wanted to sit. He was grinning oddly as he sat down; eyes squarely on their teacher and Kakashi merely raised an eyebrow in question.

"I knew it; you two did know each other before this." Sasuke finally blurted out and glanced momentarily at Naruto, still sleeping.

"Sensei…." Sakura felt the need to apologize for some reason. Obviously this was a secret and she could see some of the reasons why. It could be very easily seen as favoritism among other Genin, or it could have been said that was the only reason Kakashi passed them….

"So what all do you two know?" Kakashi smirked a bit and put his book aside. "Besides the obvious fact of where Naruto lives now?"

"He lives with you?" Sakura blinked towards Naruto. So it was what she thought, Kakashi was his guardian. The way Yoshi had kept pestering him there really was no way that could be a ninja assigned to 'watch' the fox.

"Yes for a while now." Kakashi nodded glancing at Sasuke curiously. "I am curious as to what it is you two know exactly about Naruto…Sakura you seemed to catch on rather quick to what their true goal was."

"He told us." Sasuke stated matter-of-factly, quickly covering for Sakura. "I can kinda see it with my Sharingan and he has way more chakra anyone else in our class so there had to be a reason."

"So you just came out and asked him?" Kakashi raised his eyebrow even more.

"Yeah…."

"And he didn't avoid the question?"

"He certainly tried." Sasuke snorted. "So why didn't you guys say anything?"

"Because it could be constructed as favoritism." Kakashi shrugged. "Any other clan or family could easily call it unfair that I am in a sense teaching my own. That is not how either Naruto or I see it but it would be how others would argue it."

"Still you were hiding it from us. Like we would have said anything…" Sasuke frowned and turned towards the window. "I mean we can kinda guess _why._"

"You both know about the fox so yes, that is why partially. It has not been as bad in the past few years but when he was much younger people harassed him, even tried to harm him, because of demon." Kakashi sighed and looked down at the blonde in question. "It has made him somewhat wary of others, but even that he is growing out of now that he has you two and others among the rookie class."

"And Lee." Sakura finally found her voice again and smiled a little. "And Gai-sensei…"

"Yes. Despite being wary of others he certain has a way of drawing people to him." Kakashi reached down and pushed Naruto till his head was nearly off the bed. Once it started slipping the blonde shot up like a rocket, much like Yoshi had been expecting him to do, looking around wildly for the disturbance.

"What the hell Nii-san?" Naruto firstly attacked Kakashi, who was moving now himself to leave the hospital. Perhaps with Yoshi's talking too he felt his worry was unwarranted or just to be out of the situation he suddenly found himself in; Sakura could not tell.

"You have some explaining to do and I'm making my getaway while I can."

"Explaining to…oh shit." Naruto went wide-eyed once he saw Sasuke and Sakura. "What..what are you guys doing here?"

"We were checking on Sensei, and found you." Sasuke snorted. "You've been avoiding us."

"No, I .. I was just tired.." Naruto sputtered unsuccessfully trying to find the right excuse but knew there was none. He looked up at Kakashi helplessly while the Jounin went about finding his gear and his vest stowed away nearby.

"That's another good point." Sakura found herself walking up and poking him in the chest. "You didn't say you were hurt you baka."

"Wha…who told you…." Naruto began glancing around then stopped and narrowed his eyes. "Yoshi was here."

"Yes." Kakashi chuckled. "Though Sakura does bring up a good point. Just how hurt _**were **_you? You keep avoiding the question."

"Well it wasn't that bad." Naruto pouted and glared at the open door. "I mean I'm walking aren't I?"

"And if Tsunade hadn't been there would that statement still be true?" Kakashi's tone belied very little but after watching he and Yoshi argue over it Sakura was sure that the Jounin was worried about Naruto. About all of them really.

"Uh, probably?"

"Right, well then, see you at home." Kakashi waved and was gone in a puff. They all blinked at the cloud of smoke then both she and Sasuke turned to Naruto. Who was gaping slightly before sheepishly looking back at the two of them.

"So you, uh, guys know huh?"

"You told us about the fox but not this?" Sakura felt her tone rising.

"In my defense you both kinda found that out by yourselves and just asked me about it." Naruto frowned and sat up on the bed, cross legged. "I just, I wasn't sure if people would think it was weird or if…"

"Or if they'd take you away from him." Sasuke snorted while Naruto became still and paled visibly. "Seriously you dobe, what were we going to do? Tell? We're your friends aren't we?"

"ye..yeah…"

"And it's not like he plays favorites. He's equally hard on all of us." Sasuke continued on. "So what reason would there be for it?"

"I dunno, it didn't seem fair to you."

They all three fell into silence while Naruto fidgeted. He was still unnerved by it, Sakura could tell just by the way he kept his eyes downcast and playing with the sheet now beneath him.

"So, what are we going to do?" Sasuke's voice broke the quiet and both she and Naruto blinked up at the dark-haired boy, whose gaze was squarely out the window that was slightly open.

"About what?" Naruto finally replied.

"About the people after us you idiot." Sasuke stood and stretched. After he cracked his neck a few times he took meaningful glances at each of them before going on. "We can't just sit here and hope they go away can we?"

"I guess not…"

"Sasuke's right." Sakura nodded and stood too. "They both came into Konoha and started fights they almost won. If we just keep waiting around…"

"They'll get us." Naruto whispered and shook his head in agreement. "What do you think we should do?"

And there it was the stalemate. None of them could really say what they thought they should do. It was too hard to grasp yet. But they had to do something. Anything…

"Naruto, that woman you came back with, her name was Tsunade wasn't it?" Sakura finally worked up the nerve and walked towards the door. "She's going to become the Hokage?"

"Yeah, why?"

"And she's good at medical ninjutsu right?"

"Yeah."

"Well that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to learn to be useful." Sakura set her shoulders and stopped at the door to look back at them. "I won't let anyone get you guys, not when I can help it."

"You're already useful…" Naruto began to protest but Sakura grinned and stopped him by shaking her head.

"I just stood there. Maybe if I ask her Tsunade-sama will teach me something, anything. And if not Yoshi seems to know a lot of people."

"Yoshi? You know Yoshi?"

"She was keeping an eye on Sensei." Sakura giggled. "Or yelling at him I couldn't tell."

Sasuke shook his head and crossed his arms. "So you loser, what's it going to be?"

"Huh?"

"What are you going to do?" When Naruto did not answer Sasuke went on. "I'm training, till I drop, isn't that what you said Lee does?" Sasuke moved past Sakura and out into the hallway. "I'm not letting my brother get away again, and I'm certainly not going to let him get you."

That finally spurred Naruto into action and he came flying to his feet and to the door to stand beside Sakura, watching Sasuke stalk down the hallways.

"Yeah well I'm gonna go find that pervert of a Sannin and see what else he's got cause I'm not letting that Snake bastard anywhere near Konoha or you again!"

"Big talk from a loser!"

"Loser!" Naruto went chasing after Sasuke. "You're the one who just spent a few weeks in the hospital because you got all emo again!"

They kept on bickering down the hallway till finally they were out the door. Sakura watched them go but did not mind so much that they had left. It was a good feeling to have them acting like normal again. Sure they had left her behind again, and probably had some wild competition in the works already but that just meant she would have to work harder to catch up.

"Boys."

Sakura turned and saw Yoshi leaning against a corner. "Yoshi-san…"

"They only think about themselves and then run head long into the unknown like it's their job." Yoshi began to walk up to her, shaking her head slightly. "But in the end it's us girls picking up the pieces. You don't dare let them push you around okay?"

"I promise…I …."

Before she could finish explaining Naruto popped back into the window of Kakashi's former room and came rushing to her side.

"Sakura, come on, I thought you were coming with us?"

"I…Oh Sorry!" Sakura grinned.

"Hurry up, I gotta show you guys the killer move that old perv finally taught me while we were gone."

"Okay I'm coming."

"And then there's Naruto." Yoshi was walking away waving over her shoulder. "He completely takes you by surprise."

* * *

Kakashi admitted to exiting way too early into the ambush set up by Yoshida. Later he would have to track her down and ask her what had possessed her to start sticking her nose in but it was Yoshi and she did things because she wanted to and that was reason enough. She would only state that fact and delight in the uncomfortable position she had put him in.

She was such a frustrating person and yet every few months he found himself seeking her out to just 'talk' like he and Rin used to do.

He predictably went to the memorial stone and stared at the names of dead comrades and found little solace from their empty names. He had been a coward and exited because he could not expressly say why it was he allowed Naruto to keep staying with him when it was obvious he was more than capable of taking care of himself.

He was selfish.

Still it was a relief to no longer have to watch Naruto nervously flit across the topic of his living quarters and why he seemed to have chakra to waste as if they were taboo subjects. Kakashi himself had been close to just 'slipping' to get the secret out and get Naruto over the anxiety of it all. He was sure neither Sasuke nor Sakura cared that much and from Sasuke's smug grin the Uchiha had already been gathering clues. Sasuke had been close to figuring that out himself and had nothing happened sooner or later the Uchiha heir would have tailed one of them to their apartment and it would have been out in the open anyways.

This was something Naruto had to face. Kakashi was sure that part of the secret was Naruto's anxiety of what people would do if they knew. Sure he knew that Naruto was somewhat frightened by the idea of 'loosing' Kakashi, it was evident the moment he had woken up in the hospital room. It was something Kakashi should probably discourage but it just kept occurring to him that was the same problem he was having. He was used to Naruto's presence and did not want to go back to that solitary lifestyle just yet.

He reached up and pinched at his nose and cursed under his breath. He had gone soft. Not necessarily because of Naruto but a variety of mitigating factors found him in the position he was now in.

Because Kami knew he had also been relieved to see Sakura and Sasuke as well; even more relieved to see Sasuke was not so concerned with the fact that his brother had once again dismissed him but more concerned with the fact that Naruto and Kakashi had lied to them.

And the whole confrontation and subsequent hours spent in that Genjutsu of Itachi's just let the whole reality of his stagnation set in. He just stopped at some point in progressing. Maybe with all those titles and words of his genius had finally sunk in too far and he had just found a nice comfortable spot to stop. Without Sensei there constantly pushing him, without that goal to protect Rin out on those S-Class Missions, without that sense of 'home' he had clearly let himself stop.

And living with Naruto had let him finally see another side of life where he did not always have to be on a mission or training till exhaustion. But it had clearly cost him something in return.

Itachi and Kisame were only part of a much larger group, a group filled with S-Class criminals. If anything he had to start really understanding the eye in his left eye socket. If he was going to help Sasuke understand it to its fullest he had to figure out what exactly form of Sharingan Itachi had obtained.

He had to get back to training, like he did with Minato and while in ANBU. He had to be back at his game if he was to be of any use to the three Genin.

"So I'm not the only one visiting ghosts."

Kakashi straightened a bit and glanced behind the memorial stone. There behind it was Tsunade, back against the smooth surface of the opposite face and a thing of sake in her hand. There was a slight blush to her cheeks and Kakashi could see she had been crying at some point, though it did not look recent.

"Lady Hokage…"

"Oh shove it. I'm not officially Hokage for another two or three days while they get their little ceremony together." Tsunade took a swing and glanced up at him. Her eyes spoke volumes and it was one of the reasons he was surprised that Jiraiya had succeeded in getting her to return to Konoha. It was clear she had lost too much and that the meeting with Lee had pushed her past her point of tolerance too soon. "Do you know how much you look like him?"

"Unfortunately yes."

"Unfor…" Tsunade's eyes flared up and she came up to pull on his vest collar. "Listen here you little Gaki, your father was a good man no matter what this village may have said. What they did to him was…"

"My apologies, Lady Tsunade but I meant unfortunately because it is like seeing him in the mirror."

She let him go and he straightened his vest as the woman stared at the stone beneath her hand she was using to prop herself up. He was rather uncomfortable with the whole situation. Tsunade and Jiraiya both had known his father obviously; many said he was stronger than the Sannin before his disgrace.

"I'm sorry. I figured I should face the dead before I no longer have the luxury." Tsunade smirked sadly and fingered the rim of the bottle. "That little brat made me come back and face it but I guess he had a good reason."

"If he caused you any trouble, I apologize."

"No, he was just a rather harsh wake up call." Tsunade snorted and smirked over to him. "Rather interesting little brat though. Very crafty that Old Man. Course I'm sure you already knew that."

"Sandaime-sama always seemed to have just the right answer, yes." Kakashi nodded and put his back to the stone and stared upwards to the clouds. Maybe if he did not look at her she would feel more comfortable at being found. "And a cruel sense of making one face their past."

"Oh?"

"My Genin team. They remind me of my old team."

"Oh really? That's funny." Tsunade snorted a little and sat the bottle down at her feet. "Because I could have sworn they reminded me of my old team."

"Hmmm." There was that parallel to consider as well. Naruto could easily be as powerful as Jiraiya, Sasuke was definitely as smart as Orochimaru and Sakura, from what he had garnered from Yoshi, could easily slip into Tsunade's role as a medic.

"I only hope it turns out differently for them." Tsunade pushed off from the stone and began walking away. "I can't bear to see history repeat itself."

"Me either." Kakashi pushed himself off of the rock and began heading for the training grounds. Something just told him that the three, after the accusations and the explanations, would somehow or another end up training. Or Naruto was showing off. From the way Tsunade acted Naruto seemed to have learned the Rasengan from Jiraiya.

Kakashi was eager to see if that was the case or not. It was highly unlikely, the two of them could not have been gone that long.

As he came upon their usual meeting place he found all three sitting around the stumps of their training grounds, talking amongst each other. Kakashi stopped and leaned against a nearby tree just to listen and was pleased to find they were catching Sasuke up and trying to puzzle out just what they could do to be better prepared for the next time.

Sakura was excitedly telling them what she had already picked up about medical ninjutsu. Yoshi was right it sounded like she really had a knack for the specialty. Naruto pulled out his extra pouch and began dragging out his various scrolls and notes he had about different seals and Sasuke just seemed lost.

But instead of being upset by this fact he almost seemed more determined and was asking the others questions and Naruto especially if he thought Lee or Gai would be up for extra sparring partners.

"_They know it isn't going to stop. Akatsuki will still try for Naruto and Orochimaru will make a move for Sasuke if Sasuke does not come to him of his own volition." _Kakashi smiled a bit beneath his mask. Maybe these three would have a better outcome than the Sannin of Konoha and the doomed Team 7 of old.

And that was reason enough to get out of the slump he had found himself in. He be damned if he let anything happen to these three before they had the chance to show everyone just what they were capable of.

* * *

**Author Note x2: **I deserved to be put up on a stake. Thank you again Fergnerd for kinda nudging me. 3 weeks do go by fast when working, filling out applications and then gaming in your spare time. I only thought a week and a half had gone by so again Sorry!! If we're all lucky I will pass the civil service test I'm taking Tuesday and I'll have a shiny new 9 to 5 job with weekends off that will free up A LOT of time that I normally don't have on a varied schedule in retail.

P.S. Farmville doesn't help I know. But damn it my farm is PRETTY. And as soon as they release German shepherds I will have a Riri on my farm :D

P.P.S. Yes Riri kinda absent this chapter…don't worry he is up to something that will help. ;) The next chapter may be a missing moment cause I certainly owe you all something fluffish and yum. But then again we might just plow along haven't yet decided.


	28. Aftermaths and Afterthoughts

**The Fox and the Hound**

**Chapter 22: **Aftermaths and Afterthoughts.

**Chapter Summary: **Once all the buzz and twitter has died away what is left in the aftermath of all that has transpired here? And just where will it leave Naruto?

**Author Note: **Okay so the angst bunnies demanded sacrifice and I decided to oblige them. So plowing along we go. HOWEVER, I do want to do some missing moments chapters, some nice fluff and what not but as it stands I'm kinda on a stand still on those. (Go figure) So I figure maybe I'll ask you fine folks what kind of missing moments you all wanna see. :D I do aim to please. Fergnerd, you get whatever you want seeing as you're the one that decides (and with good reason) that I need a kick in the ass ;). Okay onward. *evil grin* need to be back in the groove.

* * *

It was really hard to imagine that a month had come and gone in the span of what only seemed like a week just a few days ago. But as it was Konoha was in a whirl of movement and change and things just seemed to move _faster_ than they had when they all were stuck in the academy.

Two weeks ago he had come back from his little adventure with the old pervert and a week ago things set themselves into a tolerable routine of missions and training. Sasuke was nearby panting heavily while Naruto caught up to him out in the one place they probably should not be, and Sakura was more than likely following Shizune around the hospital on her rounds or being drilled by Tsunade in the tower.

They all three decided in the hospital to not allow themselves to be used, kidnapped, or left behind and so far they all three had their goals in mind: Sakura her medical ninjutsu, Naruto his seals, and Sasuke ninjutsu and trying to develop his Sharingan.

Naruto grinned a little as Sasuke glanced back at him. They were not really racing each other but they were fighting with each other. Naruto had been pursuing Sasuke and Sasuke believed that letting Naruto caught up would speed things along. They would sprint a while, take shots at one another, and then try to retreat enough that one or the other could not find them. Then repeat.

Their training ground of choice was way too open and easily accessible than either of them preferred and surprisingly Naruto had the answer: the Forest of Death. Sakura had visibly balked at this, she sometimes joined them for these spats whenever Tsunade was too busy but Sasuke had merely asked how they were going to gain access to such a restricted area.

Naruto had introduced him to the fun and joys of toying with Mitarashi Anko; which in of itself had suddenly become a training exercise for the boys and a growing frustration for poor Anko. Not that Naruto really worried too much about the Jounin, she always barked loud and threatened big but so far her only retaliation had been to booby trap Naruto's room and leave him hanging with bright pink hair until Kakashi had returned from one of his many missions. And if she had struck at Sasuke the dark-haired boy had not yet told him what his punishment had been.

Their first strike had been to get the keys for the gate to the forest that Naruto just KNEW she had to have. She had been way too familiar with the forest and its pitfalls during their exam it had to mean she used it regularly.

And as much as he should have wanted to avoid this area he was finding himself enjoying the freedom the forest gave. He and Sasuke could really go at each other without someone interfering or protesting and they did not have to worry too much about property damage.

Today they were enjoying trading blows back and forth before darting off and trying to lead each other. At one point Sasuke had conjured a Chidori but had never even gotten close to Naruto. Naruto retaliated with a Rasengan but found he was still a little slow with bringing the amount of chakra up fast enough and Sasuke had promptly countered by pulling him by that arm and throwing him into the trees.

"_He will want to fight you, you better be prepared." _

Anko's words of warning did resurface every so often whenever he and Sasuke really got into it. Sure he still worried about the curse mark upon his friend's shoulder but so far the mark had not broken free of the seal Kakashi had placed on it during the exams. Sasuke's will was still stronger than the will of the mark.

And maybe their little spats between missions was satisfying Sasuke's desire to advance, to be better, to fight.

Naruto could only hope.

Another fireball came zinging at him and Naruto ducked to the trees and he conjured a few Shadow clones to try to give him the distraction and time he needed to get a Rasengan ready. He was getting faster bit by bit but he still was not as fast as Jiraiya had been.

"Won't work." Sasuke grinned happily as he came out from behind and tried to kick Naruto from his perch. Naruto abandoned the trick and threw up his hands to block the kick. As soon as Sasuke was stopped he tried using one of his clones to strike at the Uchiha but Sasuke already had his Sharingan activated and flipped away; dispatching the clone. "You're getting faster! Why don't you try to add an element to it now that you've figured out the shape?"

Naruto ran up the tree and began searching out Sasuke. It was another benefit of their time in the forest. They both could speak freely here without having to worry about anyone hearing them. They could fling ideas back and forth to one another without criticism or outward influence. "I wouldn't even know where to start. I have no idea what element to work with."

"Why not ask Kakashi?" Sasuke took a wide swing and Naruto turned and grasped his wrist, fast enough to snatch him and throw him against a nearby trunk. Before he could punch at him he disappeared in a puff of smoke and Naruto snarled.

"Kakashi-nii is pretty busy if you haven't noticed. He's either gone or asleep and I'm not about to bug him about something stupid like that."

"I don't think that it would be something stupid. You can't just keep relying on Shadow Clones you dobe."

"Heh, watch me. With my shitty control I doubt it would make any difference if I knew what element I was."

"It would help, I think." Sasuke stood upside down from his perch and crossed his arms in front of him. "Elemental stuff uses more chakra and your control is screwy because of the amount of chakra you have. You have an easier time with things that would drop the rest of us at this stage. Shadow clones as an example…."

"Heh, well I'm still trying to get the speed up to Jiraiya's too. I think it's pointless to have something you can't just whip out unless you are at a tactical advantage to take your time."

Naruto watched Sasuke start and then shake his head. It was something to get used to for all of them but Sasuke seemed to appreciate Naruto's input more now that he had dropped the idiot role, even though he still clung to that mask when they were in the village. Sasuke continued to call him an idiot and a dobe purely to keep up that illusion for Naruto and he was thankful for that.

"Well what element was your family?"

"How the hell should I know? I'm an orphan stupid and Kakashi's not really my brother…."

"No shit." Sasuke huffed in response and flipped down to land near Naruto on his branch. "But usually most orphans know at least their family history a little bit…they never told you anything?"

"No…" Naruto frowned and turned away a little. "For all outward appearances they never existed."

"Well you obviously came from somewhere." Sasuke folded his arms again and leaned back against the tree trunk.

"No shit." Naruto growled back in kind. He suddenly felt backed into a corner and he could not really figure out why. He had decided years ago to just let it drop because up to that point he had found no trace of any other Uzumaki's. That was just his fate…but he had to admit to still being curious. Sasuke had a damn good point too; rationally if he found out where he came from he could maybe start adding to his arsenal like Sasuke had been trying to do with family Fire Jutsu and other tricks that lended to his strengths.

There was a long drag of silence between them. Sasuke finally realized what line he had crossed and Naruto was fending off the dreaded chewing in his gut. It was not like he had given up the search and never thought about the subject again; it was just that it was a threatening subject all of the sudden.

"Sorry, you could have just told me to shut up." Sasuke made an awkward apology and began tightening his gear and brushing the dirt and grime out of his now shorter dark spikes.

"When's that ever worked?" Naruto smirked a bit and rubbed at his head to remove the same dirt and debris he had to have built up over the course of their training. "It's not like I've never tried but…"

"Another secret huh?" Sasuke frowned and began walking towards where they left their bags. "Seems there's a lot of those lying about anymore."

"Probably more the higher we get too." Naruto snuffed and came to walk beside Sasuke. "Not like I'm not used to it by now. Bets are they just didn't want to ever tell me cause of 'it'."

"Or maybe because it's important enough to keep it quiet." Sasuke pointed out and rolled one of his shoulders. "You ever think of that?"

"Right….had it been that important would they have used me to seal a demon into?" Naruto found himself barking back. "Had I a Clan or any kind of status to protect me don't you think they would have?"

"Hmm."

"You guys with Clans just have it so nice. Little estates, get to do what you want, family secrets…" Naruto reached down once they got back to their bags and began to dig for a water bottle he knew he had thrown in earlier. He wanted nothing more than to just dump it over his head; it was suddenly very hot and very uncomfortable. "Family techniques…"

"It's not all that it's cracked up to you idiot." Sasuke shot back at his jab. "It's a lot of hierarchy and if you weren't born first you might as well not have been born at all. Hell do you even know how the Hyuuga Clan works?"

"I've heard things." Naruto muttered thinking of his fight with Neji. "I just thought they were the oddballs…Choji and Shikamaru's families don't seem too bad."

"Heh, that's because they're small enough to not have to worry about who gets what and who gets to do what and when." Sasuke bluntly pointed out and sat heavily on the forest floor. "Sometimes I wonder if my brother did me a favor…."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and cocked his head to the side. Sakura had admitted being afraid of what meeting his brother would do to Sasuke and Naruto had to agree with her. They both knew what he wanted to do to his brother for the slaughter of his Clan and had on more than one occasion agreed with Sasuke's hatred. Had it been him surely he would be angry for the loss of his family…

But Sasuke suddenly seemed to do a three-sixty in this regard. He seemed more determined to become stronger but he did not seem to echo his statement a month or so ago when he finally woke up to deal with the Sound Ninja in the forest. At that time he had been more than eager to do whatever it took to gain that power but now it seemed his focus had changed.

"I mean what other explanation is there?" Sasuke looked up to him suddenly; the red faded back to dark black orbs and it almost looked like he was pleading with Naruto for an answer. "If he wanted to just erase the Clan he could have. If he had wanted to he could have killed me…twice now…and he hasn't. But what makes me any different from any one else he killed?"

"You were his brother." Naruto muttered without realizing it and fought the urge to flinch. He really should not have said such a thing, given the circumstances. Sasuke merely went still and stared at him. He did not look angry or upset, just lost.

Naruto sat down near Sasuke and leaned over his knees to look out into the dark unknown around them. "I think that's how we're alike ya know? Neither one of us knows the full picture and even if we did what would it change?"

"Maybe it would just make sense if we knew." Sasuke muttered and leaned up as well. "If I just had a reason, any reason better than 'just to test myself' I think I could let it go. No one seems to know and no one seems to care. All they care about is me getting the Clan back to what it was. To restore everything that he destroyed. What if that isn't what I want?"

"Then don't do it." Naruto shrugged and glanced over to Sasuke, now staring dead ahead. "Kakashi always tells me to not give a damn what others think. It's kinda hard to not hear them but I can't change it so I should do what I think is right."

"Hmph." Sasuke stood swiftly and took his backpack up on his shoulder. "When does Kakashi get back?"

"Not for another couple days according to what he said." Naruto sighed. It was hard getting used to this new harrowing schedule. Kakashi had suddenly found himself in high demand with so many still recovering or just plain gone and he had several missions some weeks. When he was home he was sleeping.

A couple of times he had joined Naruto when he had gone out to eat or to visit Sakura and Sasuke but for the most part he was getting rough around the edges. But Naruto was almost hoping that would happen so the old lady would give him a break. He had barely the time to talk to Kakashi let alone make sure he was alright and to show him what he had learned.

Granted he was a little nervous to do so. What if Kakashi was protective of his Sensei's jutsu? Jiraiya knew it but Jiraiya had taught the Fourth...

"We should go check on Sakura, see if she wants to eat or something." Sasuke's voice interrupted him and he glanced up. Sasuke was walking towards the back gate they always used to enter the forest and had taken back up his 'leader' tone. Naruto did not mind so much that he did it as long as it was not permanent. I mean Sasuke was the stronger individual after all.

"Eh you go on ahead, I was going to go digging around the library again. I'm getting the hang of that sensory seal the old perv showed me but I wanna try a couple of traps and he's nowhere to be found, go figure."

"Eh, whatever." Sasuke shrugged and soon Naruto was alone to his own devices. The Uchiha was good at disappearing as the need suited him. Naruto took his time back to the gate and double checked that everything was locked back up and any traces he and Sasuke might have left were erased.

He highly doubted that Anko was that stupid, the woman had to understand that the two of them were responsible for a missing key but so far she had not come to rectify the matter. Maybe she felt they needed the time out in the forest to toughen up a bit… but then again why did she care about it?

Something about her whole involvement during the chuunin exams had been too familiar. She knew Orochimaru and how he acted….and Kakashi had noted that many had wanted to put her in a cage and keep her sealed away. Maybe she knew how Sasuke was going to react because she had seen something similar already.

Naruto easily moved between streets and homes till he was back at his apartment and changed. Riri was nowhere to be seen when he entered and Naruto was still surprised that the shepherd had not started joining Sasuke and he out on their training but Riri still was wary of Sasuke after what had happened. Naruto could not blame him entirely but that had been two months ago.

He stopped by his windowsill of plants and just stared at them. Sasuke's and his conversation still stuck in his head and he was desperate to quiet the curiosity again. It was momentarily relieved when he noted the small azalea bush that Ino's mother had given him a while back had finally begun to take off while he was gone and finally in the middle of the bush was a small bud.

He grinned and sat down next to the burnt orange pot and carefully isolated the bud and saw small groupings of others elsewhere on the plant. All of his plants seemed to be in good condition when he had returned, if not a little overgrown in some of their cases. This one he had been eager to see because she had not given him the cultivar or any hint as to what color it would be. Instead she just said he would enjoy it.

So against his better judgment he carefully began to prod the biggest bud open by peeling it carefully. This bud would be trimmed off but it was just too much and he wanted to see if it was the russet color it appeared to be from the outside.

Instead of a russet when he peeled it open the bloom's petals were fire orange. Naruto blinked momentarily before breaking out into a huge grin. He was not aware azalea's came in orange but now that he saw it he was absolutely eager for the rest of the buds to break out into actual blooms. He was about to turn around and tell Riri to look and remembered the dog was out and about.

It was odd the way Riri was acting but maybe the shepherd was trying to learn something new as well and since he did not seem to want to trust Sasuke yet he was out doing so himself or harassing Sakura for more of those treats she made.

Naruto sighed and glanced around the empty apartment. It only made the conversation come flaring back up and he shuddered and headed out the window. It did no good to brood over it and if he just sat there he would just continue to stew. So he set off with no particular destination in mind.

So it was odd when he looked up and found himself at the Nara residence.

He knew where Shikamaru lived even though he never had really been invited there or had come here to visit. He had never done so before because of the fear of rejection. Shikamaru, Choji and he had always kept their friendship at the school and when they decided to skip. At the end of the day they always parted ways and that was how it was.

Now as he stood at the door, waiting to see if anyone answered, Naruto wondered if this would end up being some sort of breech.

A dark haired woman answered and smiled at him a bit, leading him through the residence and out a back door. There in a small yard was Shikamaru laid out flat on his back in the grass and Choji sitting up nearby snacking on chips. Choji straightened up and waved at Naruto eagerly and Shikamaru merely waved before letting his arm drop back down to the soft grass.

The woman left them and Naruto timidly walked over and sat just behind Shikamaru's head.

"So you made it back in one piece. Sakura was really starting to wonder." Shikamaru drawled without opening his eyes even a crack to look at him.

"Yeah you were gone a long time there Naruto." Choji offered up the bag and Naruto snagged a handful and just shrugged. "So what did you end up doing? Where all did you go? Shikamaru said you left with one of the Sannin??"

"Yeah he calls himself that." Naruto snorted and quickly swallowed the chips, finding he was hungry now that he was no longer thinking. "Some place called Tanzaku and all over while the Perv decided to peep instead of actually doing something productive."

"Does he let you call him that?" Shikamaru was finally waking up a bit it looked like.

"No, not really but that's what he is." Naruto smiled as Shikamaru sat up and rubbed at the back of his neck. "Glad to see things haven't changed here too much. Still sleeping the afternoon away."

"Oh no we just got back a few hours ago." Choji shook his head and pointed at Shikamaru suddenly. "We've been getting a lot of C-ranks because they promoted Shikamaru to Chuunin last week…."

"Damn it Choji do we have to keep bringing that up?" Shikamaru groaned while Naruto blinked.

"They what?!" Naruto began laughing a bit.

"Yeah that crazy woman you seemed to have brought back to be Hokage went ahead and took all the proctor's recommendations and made me a Chuunin. What a drag…."

"Yeah, yeah, tell him what they said about you Shikamaru!" Choji was happily laughing now too.

"Promoted you…." Naruto was a little in shock. They actually promoted someone from the exam? But the more and more he thought about it the more he began to smirk. Of all the people they promoted it was Shikamaru of all people. "They promoted you? That's perfect! Did they not take in account that you surrendered your match?"

"I did that because I felt something was up, you idiot."

"That's his excuse." Choji was whispering back to Naruto and it earned him a hard glare.

"And good thing too. It's not like I asked to be a Chuunin…"

"I bet Asuma was shocked." Naruto continued to goad Shikamaru and received a hard glare. "Oh is he actually training you hard now? I bet he's just eager to get you all set for Jounin now."

"Do not get him started on that." Shikamaru growled. "The plan was simple, make chuunin, meet some plain girl and have two kids. A nice quiet life. There is no chance I'm going to be a Jounin and take up those crazy missions."

"Nope, I bet Asuma won't let you slack off now. I bet you were the only one they promoted!" Choji began to nod enthusiastically as Naruto grabbed more chips. "See he won't let you go back to being that unmotivated slacker. You're stuck now **genius." **

At this Shikamaru stood and pointed over to the porch running outside the length of the house. Naruto blinked and then looked over to where he was pointing and saw a Shogi board sitting outside one of the doors. After he was sure Naruto had seen it he stood and drug himself over to the board and began placing pieces out in front of him.

"Oh now you're in for it." Choji chuckled and stood to go sit at the edge of the porch. Naruto debated for a little bit and then decided to go ahead and give it a shot. He was not too good at these types of games but he really needed the distraction.

Naruto came to sit on the other side of the board and landed in a hunched over slump as he began to mimic Shikamaru's pieces on his own side of the board. He had to admit not really knowing how to play the game that well and it was very evident the first few games where Shikamaru merely beat him in a few plays.

After a few of those he began to piece together the intricate little moves and piece maneuvers that allowed Shikamaru to 'capture' him constantly. And in a few more rounds he began striking back and taking some of Shikamaru's pieces.

They were silent during these games and Naruto slowly began to think about his conversation with Sasuke more as the moves became more instinctual and not actually thought out guesses. Choji sat quietly to the side watching and grinning each time Naruto made a good move and Shikamaru was taking more and more time between his moves.

But finally the silence broke them all.

"So what's up?" Shikamaru asked at one point during one of their longer stand-offs. "You look like someone just closed the ramen stand."

"Eh, it's nothing I'm just trying to work something out." Naruto found himself growling a little bit and watched as Shikamaru reached out and clicked a piece one step closer to his side of the board. Shikamaru shrugged and went back to the silence game.

Two weeks ago he had come home and two weeks ago things seemed to have gone back to normal; except normal was not what he was used to. They were all busy and they were all taking on more work and Shikamaru was a Chuunin for all intent's purposes. Everything seemed to have gone to fast forward.

He clicked one of his bishops and stared at the pieces on the board. Shikamaru straightened in response and cupped his hands in front of him just like he had at the Chuunin exam. Naruto stopped and blinked at this and then over to Choji who did not seem surprised by this.

"He's thinking." Choji whispered very carefully. "You're really good at this. He only usually has to do that move with his dad and Asuma-sensei."

Naruto frowned once Shikamaru's hands came back up and snaked out for one of his knights and proceeded to force his one piece back, but only slightly. He frowned even more seeing the move and about two others Shikamaru could have chosen. Shikamaru was purposefully baiting him it seemed.

"_If I do what he wants me to he'll take three pieces. If I go the way he's left open he'll take five." _Naruto quietly began fidgeting and then decided to move the closest piece to Shikamaru's side of the board and instantly Shikamaru straightened.

"What the…" Shikamaru sat up and really began to study the board. He did this for a good two minutes before gaping up at Naruto. "You just stopped the game, we're at an impasse."

"Oh what's that?" Naruto looked down and then back up. He was not aware that he had done anything wrong but then again he did not know the official rules.

"It's like a stalemate. I can't find…"

"He actually stopped you!" Choji was leaning up now too to look at the pieces. "He didn't win but he stopped your advance."

"I see that!" Shikamaru snapped to the side then returned to staring at Naruto. "I thought you did not know how to play?"

"I don't."

"He's watching your moves and reacting to them instinctively." A voice caught them all by surprise and looked up to find Shikamaru's father standing at the doorway watching the same game. "He's merely moving the pieces in a way that prevents you from doing what you've done in the past games. I believe we call that dumb luck."

Naruto squirmed under the happy smirk Shikaku threw his way before closing the door and calling out the woman in the house about their son's 'loss'. Shikamaru huffed and crossed his arms in front of him staring at the game board obsessively looking for a small crack in the set up of the pieces.

"So what is it you're trying to work out Naruto?" Choji decided to fill the silence and scooted up closer to the board. He must have known Shikamaru would not want to start over another game; he was too busy studying the game that Naruto had inadvertently stopped.

"I dunno exactly." Naruto sighed and began to pick at the rocks stuck in the bottom of his shoes. "You ever want to know the answer to something but something tells you that you really don't want to know?"

"That's the weirdest thing I've ever heard." Shikamaru murmured while reaching over to quietly reposition a few of the pieces and then began thinking again. "But I guess it makes sense. Is this about the whole 'secret' thing?"

Naruto cringed a little. He had forgotten that Shikamaru and Choji had in their own way promised to keep their ears open as to why he was officially a secret in the village. He knew the answer to this particular secret already and so did his teammates. But the two people he considered his best friends did not. That suddenly seemed very wrong and very selfish of him. They had a right to know.

"Uh, no, uh…about that you guys." Naruto rubbed at his neck nervously and shrunk a little. "I, I kinda found out what that was all about…"

"Really?" Choji leaned up noting how low Naruto's voice had gotten. "My dad says not to ask stupid questions whenever I ask. Shikamaru's dad tells us we're crazy or just waves us off…"

"Yeah they would." Naruto took a deep breath and sighed. "I was kinda born the night the fox attacked the village…."

"Yeah so? Why would that make you a secret?" Shikamaru frowned and raised his eyebrow. "If that's all it is that's pretty stup…."

"Because the Fourth was unable to just kill a demon." Naruto interrupted Shikamaru harshly and lowered his gaze. "Please just let me finish it's hard enough as it is." When nothing else was said and Shikamaru finally started putting pieces away from atop the Shogi board. "You remember Gaara don't you?"

"Kinda hard to forget a psycho." Shikamaru huffed.

"You remember what he said that day in the hospital don't you?"

"Yeah kinda, what the hell Uzumaki, what's this got to do with anything?"

"I'm like him."

Choji just cocked his head to the side and looked to Shikamaru since he had been the one present for the incident in question.

"You're like…there's no way…there's." Shikamaru finally looked directly at him and Naruto found he had to look away. "Naruto you are no way like that…"

"No, I'm not because I got lucky, someone decided to see me and take me in. But the Fourth Hokage had to do what the Kazekage did to save the village. He sealed the fox into a newborn and I was born the night the fox attacked."

"Naruto…" Choji whispered but afterwards there was nothing but silence and the sounds of birds chirping around in the gardens.

Naruto closed his eyes and waited. He had been friends with Choji and Shikamaru longer than anyone else. He should have told them sooner but this was what he was afraid of. Sooner or later he would have to tell Lee but he knew Lee was probably still recovering after Tsunade's visit. Just because she was a super medic did not mean Lee would be one-hundred percent instantly.

"When did you find out? You did not know when we were in school?" Shikamaru finally questioned and put his elbow on the board to lean forward and catch his gaze.

"No…my, my guardian finally told me after graduation. He figured I had a right to know." Naruto lied. The Third had told him expressly not to go into details about Mizuki's betrayal, especially at the school because many saw him as a good teacher.

"Jees man that's rough." Shikamaru shook his head and let out a long sigh. "I mean that has to be just a little tough to swallow. And that Sand guy must've freaked you out…no wonder you went white as a sheet."

"It doesn't hurt you does it Naruto?" Choji was for once quiet and still, not shoving his hand in his bag to nervously snag at the food he found comfort in.

"No it doesn't hurt me, at least I don't think it does." Naruto looked up to Shikamaru guiltily. "I didn't mean to hide it I just…"

"Yeah that's not exactly something you want broadcast to the world, I get it." Shikamaru shrugged. "But do all the adults know?"

"Yeah I think so. That's why a lot of the older villagers kinda react badly to me and what not…"

"Who's your guardian? I mean they knew about it and took you in?" Choji was grinning. "Whoever it was must be really nice to do that for you…"

"Uh, well, that'd be Kakashi."

"Kakashi? As in your Sensei?" Shikamaru blinked a bit.

"Yeah, he took me in…a long time before this."

"Damn." Shikamaru shook his head and lay back on the wood boards of the porch. "I'm really losing my touch. Normally I can figure that kind of stuff out. Kinda like how Asuma and Kurenai are always skirting around each other like a couple of teenagers."

Naruto could not help but snort and start laughing so hard until tears started forming at the edge of his eyes. "Oh. Man. That's just….You're good Shikamaru."

"That's how you know Asuma-sensei!" Choji perked up. "He said he was known to harass Kakashi-sensei when he was younger!"

Naruto nodded as he tried to reign in the laughter. Oh they knew about Asuma and Kurenai already. Why was it that the two of them thought they could hide such a relationship in a village filled with trained information gatherers? "Yeah they even looked after me whenever Kakashi had to leave for a real long mission or something. Well that and I started pranking Asuma just for kicks."

"Really? Like how?"

"You want in on it?" Naruto questioned back to Shikamaru and laughed when Shikamaru nodded. Bets were after his promotion Asuma believed Shikamaru would turn around his laziness into motivation. Instead Shikamaru was getting more than he bargained for and wanted revenge. "Perfect, I've wanted a shot at him since graduation, just so he doesn't forget."

"Naruto, look, about the 'secret'." Shikamaru cut off his diversionary conversation. "We won't tell anyone, will we Choji?"

"Nope."

"And we won't let anyone mess with you, got it?"

"Huh?"

"We kinda overheard a few people at the festivals." Choji muttered and lowered his head this time. "They always were angry you came with us and they were always acting like they were going to find you afterwards to make sure you didn't come back. Guess it makes sense now, but back then it was weird."

"Oh…yeah well I'm used to that kind of shit. It's actually let up since I graduated…"

"Still, if anyone messes with you we'll mess back." Choji came back up and looked very much like his father. Shikamaru looked a lot like his father back in the bar, leaning up on the shogi board and just watching Naruto's reaction. And in an ideal world he could pretend that he looked like Inoichi.

And that just brought back up his dilemma. He stood and smiled a little. "Thanks guys, I appreciate that but I don't want to cause trouble."

"So what exactly is it you're trying to figure out?" Shikamaru questioned again. "If it wasn't that what was it?"

"Eh nothing, it's something stupid really. And I should be going. Riri's probably trying to find me or Sakura and Sasuke. They said something about getting something to eat."

"Before you go how is the emo-jerk doing?" Shikamaru raised an interested eyebrow and speared Naruto particularly hard.

"He's doing better. He hasn't drawn on that thing since the fight with Gaara and he actually seems sorry that he did." Naruto shuddered. "Don't worry about it guys I've got it handled."

"I hope so cause I don't wanna have to be the one to drag your ass back to Konoha when he finally goes berserk." Shikamaru muttered and waved at him a little. "Let's get together later this week. I need an excuse to get away from Asuma."

"Hah, yeah and we need to plan our prank on him." Naruto waved and walked around the outside porch to exit without seeing Shikamaru's parents. He was almost afraid that Shikaku had stayed nearby and had heard the confession but even so Shikaku probably already knew. And he never seemed to care either way about Naruto.

It was still something he was nervous about. So far no one that he personally had told had reacted badly yet. They had merely reacted in concern for him and had understood his silence about such a thing. Maybe Kakashi had been right all along that those he called friends would understand and accept it. If they reacted badly maybe they had never been his friends in the first place.

All in all nothing bad was coming from his friends knowing about his 'tenant' and so far nothing bad had come from people knowing about Kakashi taking him in.

So maybe nothing bad would happen if he tried one last time to figure out where he had come from. Kakashi mentioned they had upped the security a little in the scroll rooms but that did not necessarily mean that the records rooms had been hit as well. He took a glance up at the familiar tower and guessing by how busy it was lately there would be fewer guards and sentries. It was an ideal time to go digging through records again.

But what good would that do him? He had tried from about six-and-a-half to just after turning eight years old and not once had he been able to dig up anyone else with the name of Uzumaki. They did not exist in the records at all. He had been obsessive about it when he was seven and checked everything he could. There was no one else like him…

But perhaps the problem had always been he had been looking for the wrong thing.

* * *

"_Finally."_ Kakashi heaved a huge sigh of relief once the Hokage took his report and, instead of handing out another slip of paper with a mission briefing on it, merely dismissed him for the foreseeable future. He bowed to the woman he was now trained to see instead of Sandaime and exited calmly through the door.

Konoha was still spread thin. The attack came after a graduating class and as much as they liked to tout Sasuke as a genius none of the rookie nine was really that ready for promotions. He was still surprised that the Hokage had given Shikamaru a gain in rank but going back over what Naruto had told him about Shikamaru's match against the Sand Ninja and subsequently hearing it from Asuma; the boy was the only one of the bunch without a hot head on his shoulders. Everyone else was out to prove themselves still and they only thought about winning, they did not think about probability and tactical moves in the least.

Still they were only kids and the last time kids their age had been fast-tracked to C and B ranks was during the war in which he had gotten a fast education in.

Even Tsunade seemed wary in doing this despite the obvious lack of manpower at the present moment. They would continue on until people recovered and the 'kids' became more reliable and mature. It would slow eventually but the influx of missions and requests had gone up because of the Chuunin exams themselves and the ability the Leaf had in repelling an invasion without losing more than they did.

They were reliable and strong; that was the view of those who had heard and seen and now they were overrun with requests.

It was a great way of getting back into a groove though and after a good sleep and rest he was more than likely going to snag his three Genin and see what kind of trouble they had been getting into in his absence. They all seemed to have a renewed sense of learning and Tsunade had inquired about Sakura before taking the girl on as an apprentice.

She was very pleased with the girl's knowledge and control but berated Kakashi endlessly on her inability to react properly to a real threat. _"She actually closed her eyes when I started attacking her Kakashi, where the hell did she learn that from and why haven't you fixed it? She'll get herself killed that way." _

Kakashi had no answer but did ask why exactly the Hokage had attacked the girl when she was supposed to be learning medical ninjutsu. Tsunade had only smirked knowingly and told him that the girl was exceptional at chakra control and that in itself gave her a lot of options beyond medical or Genjutsu.

Which meant the woman had truly taken Sakura as her apprentice and was teaching her that monstrous strength Tsunade was said to control. Which, depending on how well Sakura learned it, was going to make training sessions dangerous.

Sasuke and Naruto had renewed their rivalry and the two were constantly sparring or off somewhere doing Kami knew what. But it did not seem as intense as it could be. They both seemed to enjoy this newfound freedom to pursue their interests and they both seemed to have grown closer because of it. Kakashi had been worried about Sasuke's state of mind but Naruto had quickly reassured him and said Sasuke had yet to make it 'serious'.

Kakashi was glad to finally have a break because he knew Naruto was getting somewhat nervous. He was sure that he still was having trouble adjusting to Tsunade and knew that the kid still believed he needed time to recover as well so a little break would be good just to reassure Naruto he was fine and maybe touch base with all three of the kids.

He had to act like a sensei some of the time of course.

Something else seemed off as well and as he entered the dark apartment to find only Ririshii whimpering at Naruto's closed door it only piqued that particular sense. The dog looked downright distraught and did not even notice he had entered the living room.

During the few little passing moments he and Naruto would have it would seem like Naruto wanted to ask him something but then would think better of it and he always allowed it to pass without a second thought. Sooner or later whatever was bothering the blonde would surface and he could fix it.

"_Hmm seems it came up while I was gone." _He placed his pack to the side of the door and walked over to stand just behind Ririshii. "What's up?"

Riri came up instantly and whined loudly. "He won't let me in. He's upset, I don't know why, I tried to go in through the window and he got angry and told me to leave him alone. What did I do? I didn't mean to...to go off on my own when we got home; I promise I just wanted to find Akamaru!"

"Wait, slow down." Kakashi reached down and began to pet between the large ears perked up and swiveling in an agitated manor. "He's upset with you?"

"I don't know." Riri whimpered and began to snuggle up against Kakashi's chest as he kneeled down to pet the dog. "I don't know what's wrong. He was yelling, he was screaming and asking himself why he was so stupid. I wanted to ask him but he got angry and told me to go away. He kept talking and yelling but he's been quiet today. He was quiet today…"

"So he's been doing that for longer than today?" Kakashi peered at the door. Like Ririshii had said it was absolutely quiet and dark in the apartment. He had not at first been aware anyone was there. What the hell was going on? Why in the world was Naruto shoving Riri away?

"Yes, started two days ago. He came home late, really late with some sort of papers and just went to his room and he ignored me. Then he started muttering and then to yelling and crying. He was really upset….I can't open the door, why can't I open doors…"

"Relax he didn't want to hurt you." Kakashi reassured the dog with a pat on his back before standing and moving to the door. He wondered if Sasuke had finally started acting like they were expecting him to or if someone finally told him about Lee's outcome. There were just too many what if's though until he could see what exactly it was that had upset Naruto.

It was rare though that he would be upset enough to be outwardly upset to such a level. Riri was beside himself and from his description Naruto had been yelling and crying. He took a steadying breath and just decided to open the door and see what happened.

At first it was hard to discern where the kid was at first because it was dark in the room as well and Naruto was not in his bed or sitting at the desk covered in plants. Instead he was sitting pressed into a corner of the room; his arms were wrapped around his knees and his head rested atop them; eyes just staring out into the dark room.

Naruto winced a little when the light from the hall that Kakashi had momentarily flicked on to get a better look hit the room and he turned his head to the side and tried to bury his head in his arms. He made no move to acknowledge or greet Kakashi and remained tightly balled into his corner.

"Naruto?"

"Go away."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow and shifted his weight a bit. His voice sounded husky and raw, like he had indeed been crying as Ririshii reported. The dog took a tentative glance inside the door and whimpered. Kakashi merely took another step forward and was met with another growl.

"Leave. Me. Alone."

Kakashi ignored the warning and sat on the edge of Naruto's bed, just a few steps away from where Naruto was sitting and watched carefully. He never brought his eyes up to Kakashi when he snarled and even in close quarters Naruto made no move whatsoever to look up and enforce his words with eye contract.

"You know I can't do that." Kakashi finally replied calmly.

"You can you're just choosing not to." Naruto retorted rather harshly and Kakashi sat back a bit to give him a little more space. He was upset and he was hostile, that was a new combination. He took a moment to glance around the room; looking for any source for this behavior. His eye finally came to rest on a small pile of papers, just as Riri had explained, piled just at the edge of his bed. He reached over and took a handful of the papers and froze instantly.

_Namikaze, Minato  
- see also Yondaime Hokage  
Registration ID: 009432  
Birthdate: January 25th  
Graduation Age: 10  
Chuunin Promotion Age: 15  
Jounin Promotion Age: 18  
Promoted to Kage Status March 23rd_

_Missions Completed:  
D-Rank: 122  
C-Rank: 147  
B-Rank: 216  
A-Rank: 323  
S-Rank: 39_

_Team Information:  
Team: Gennai Yoshino, Warashi Tobin  
Apprenticed to Jiraiya  
Jounin Instructor of Team 7: Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Obito, Rin  
Current Status: Deceased as of October 10__th_

_History:_

_No information regarding the family of Namikaze Minato has been uncovered at this time. Was found in outlying orphanage at age of two and entered the academy at age of three. It is believed he was an abandoned child from a passing ninja or other such individual due to ability and chakra reserves._

_March 3__rd__ Determined at age five that Namikaze Minato was Genius level and given appropriate levels of coursework and allowed to graduate at age ten with Gennai Yoshino and Warashi Tobin, both eleven. All three taken as Genin under Jiraiya of the Sannin. _

_October, 7__th__ Age fifteen taken as personal apprentice to Jiraiya and given rank of Chuunin after exemplar performance at the Chuunin Exams held in the Village Hidden in the Clouds. Revealed that Namikaze has developed a rather interesting and powerful rank Jutsu, the Body Flicker that will allow the user to move himself between multiple locations unnoticed and undetected. Believed it is achieved with a number of seals and ninjutsu combined. _

_January 25__th__ Age eighteen: promoted to Jounin rank due to influence provided during the evacuation of Whirlpool country. Influenced the truce and acquisition of surviving Whirlpool Ninja as Leaf Ninja and gives displaced Whirlpool citizens full rights and protections under Konoha's name. _

_July 29__th__ Namikaze Minato given full rights as Jounin Instructor and given the right to take on one Hatake Kakashi as apprentice as of his promotion as Chuunin; age six. Three years later given two more Genin to complete cell of appropriate skill set and level: Uchiha Obito and Rin._

_June 4__th__ completed successfully mission to destroy bridge in Iwa territories allowing Iwa forces to advance on Fire. This completion was vital in the ending of the war and led to multiple peace treaties on all sides. Only one casualty was reported on the mission; Chuunin Rank Uchiha Obito. _

_April 3__rd__ Age 24 completes work on technique called the Rasengan. A-rank jutsu, information regarding technique are sealed in the second records room floor for further study and development. _

_March 23__rd__ Age twenty six promoted by Lord Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, to position of Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves._

_October 10__th__ the Yondaime Hokage was killed in the line of duty after an attack by the Demon Nine-Tailed Fox on Konoha. The Demon was sealed by the Yondaime Hokage successfully into newborn child of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina. One Uzumaki Naruto given into protective custody of former Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. _

Kakashi was in shock. There before him was pretty much the summary sheet of notable achievements and advancements of the Yondaime Hokage. He glanced over to the rest of the papers and noted there were several other files, probably more in-depth reports and details and more than likely Kushina's files. He glanced back down at the page in his hand and the final entry, the one entry that caused the Sandaime Hokage to seal away all pertinent information regarding the Fourth and his history.

He believed that any ill will towards Minato from the world at large would land squarely on Naruto along with the burden of the Demon Fox's sealing in the boy. It was a logical reaction and so they gave Naruto Kushina's name and sealed away all records. There were so few that actually knew the truth that no one ever really asked for those records because the Fourth had already been a hero and most of his feats were known widespread by that point.

It was also that final entry that explained everything in painful clarity.

"I'm so stupid." Naruto sniffed below him and buried his head further. "I'm so fucking stupid. Why did I listen to him….why can't I just be an idiot and not know any better."

"Naruto…"

"Cause I'm too damn smart to just leave it alone. He just had to tell me I **looked** like him. Just had to explain that I was just like his _precious_ Yondaime. He even taught me his jutsu didn't he…."

Naruto's voice was steadily becoming louder and his face scrunched up in pain as he went on. His fingers gripped at the smooth black material of his pants and tugged and pulled anxiously as the words just kept spilling out. Kakashi put the paper to the side and slid down to the floor and just waited.

"You never said anything!" Naruto finally lashed out, letting go of his legs and leaning up to yell at Kakashi. "You never said a damn word! And you knew! You had to know! You lived with him didn't you? That's what the old perv said…that …that he took you in after your father died. He looked after you…he cared about you!!!"

Kakashi winced at the harsh words and could easily understand Naruto's reaction. After learning about the Fox and how the Fourth had sealed it into him, telling Naruto that it was his own father to have done such a deed just seemed cruel; at least that was how the Sandaime had seen it. Slowly Kakashi had given in to that and allowed Sarutobi to do as he wished…of course until that fateful day eight years ago.

"But he didn't care enough about me did he! He….he used me. I'm just like Gaara. His father made him a weapon too…and that's what he did didn't he?" Naruto yelled forcibly and reacted enough to shove at Kakashi in an effort to get an answer or just to vent his frustration, Kakashi was not sure but the words struck deep and he reacted by reaching out and grabbing Naruto by the shoulders which caused the boy to flinch.

"Don't." Kakashi found it extremely hard to force out words all the sudden but he owed Naruto an answer. All he had was information on a sheet of paper, he did not know the underlying decisions or conversations that led up to such things. All Naruto saw was how his own father had sealed a demon away into his own child. "Don't say such a thing. Don't you ever think such a thing ever again."

Naruto glared at him angrily and Kakashi could not blame him for believing what he saw at face value. He was an orphan; orphan's normally had this need in them to find out where they came from and Naruto was no different. Kakashi knew he had dug around before; looking for any clues to his family but what had finally led him to the Fourth?

"_Jiraiya…."_

"Sensei cared about you more than anything, even before you were born." Kakashi found the words finally and pulled on the resistant shoulder until he could wrap his arms around the trembling blonde who was caught between outright rage and sorrow. "All he talked about was how things were going to be once you came. But no one could have guessed what happened would ever happen. "

"But he still did it." Naruto struggled but Kakashi held fast. "He still did it no matter what he said."

"Because he had no other choice, Naruto. There's something the history lessons don't cover and it's the fact that we had advance warning about the Kyuubi. Several outposts reported seeing it before they were overrun. He had the time to summon Gamabunta and perform the sealing jutsu before it ever threatened us. But he couldn't do it…he couldn't do it until the fox was breathing down our necks and the only way anyone was going to survive, including you, was if he did what he did."

Naruto did not respond fully to that and Kakashi pressed onward.

"You read his information didn't you? You saw it right? He was an orphan just like you Naruto. He NEVER wanted you to suffer like that. He wanted to marry your mother, but she was a stubborn woman, and buy a home and he wanted us to all be a family." Kakashi felt the boy go limp and the dampness starting on his sleeve. And Kakashi buried his cheek in the familiar soft hair.

Jiraiya had finally given Naruto enough of a clue to start digging in the right place but why? The old man had asked if Naruto knew and maybe it was because he found it outrageous that the son of his student didn't know exactly what a legacy he carried. Or perhaps the older man wanted to prod this information out of Kakashi finally because he believed it to be his 'place' to do so.

And Naruto had done as he always did and gone and dug on his own instead of asking. Which had Naruto asked would he have been able to answer him properly? Kakashi had been too cowardly to outright tell him and even faced with it he still did not want to shatter Naruto sense of self.

"That is my biggest failing Naruto." He whispered into the shaking head beneath him and desperately sought for a way to make it go away. "I should have told you, a hundred times before this, I am sorry."

"I just don't understand why." Naruto finally sobbed. "Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't Jiji tell me?"

"The same reason we pretended you didn't live here. I've made a lot of enemies over the years and so had the Fourth. He was a very dangerous man and as such had a very high standing in many Bingo books. People would have reacted to you in much of the same way they would have reacted to him; kill on sight. It's not the right answer but it's what we decided."

"Was it part of the rule?"

"Yes, it was part of that rule that the Sandaime passed. It was just a horrible thing that happened, Naruto. Sensei believed that Kushina was still alive when he left and that she would protect you that you wouldn't be alone…but then again that's another one of my failings."

"You were a kid too." Naruto muttered and sniffed as he clutched at the familiar black cloth of his shirt sleeve.

"I was old enough to know." Kakashi refuted. "You could have just asked Naruto. I would have told you…you did not have to try to find it on your own."

"I had to…I… I just wanted to know. I didn't think Sasuke would be right when he said no one told me cause it was important…."

"I didn't say anything because I was unsure if you would really want to know or not. And because Jiraiya is right you know; you do look just like him. Sooner or later someone would have figured it out Naruto."

"I look like him…" Naruto mulled over and over again. It seemed that was the trigger that Jiraiya had given Naruto to prod this revelation. Kakashi rubbed absently at the shoulder beneath his hand and sighed.

"You do, but you act more like your mother."

"really…"

"Yes, she was stubborn, outspoken, and she loved pulling pranks on people, especially after she became a Leaf Ninja. That's how they met actually, Sensei made it his responsibility to make sure the Whirlpool Ninja were assimilating well and to correct any issues that had come up and Kushina, just to tick him off, would pull these elaborate pranks." Kakashi chuckled a little remembering how pink Minato's apartment had gotten one day after Minato had told Kushina she was not feminine enough to ever be datable. "I think they both liked the challenge."

"What happened to her? You said he thought she was still alive…"

"She did not want him to go alone. She wanted to be with him and you when it happened but she never made it that far." Kakashi winced, remembering how he found the woman alone in the forest trapped beneath one of the larger trees, a scared Genin girl pushed up against a nearby tree, white as a sheet. Kushina had saved the poor girl at her own expense for whatever stupid reason.

It was quiet again, only small sniffs and the occasional clenching of his hand around Kakashi's sleeve was the only indication that he was still awake. Riri cautiously came into the room and laid just a few steps into the door. Kakashi looked back over at the papers and other assorted files Naruto had on his bed and sighed.

"How many laws did you break to get to these?"

"I dunno."

"Well Kushina would be proud. That's twice now you've gotten into restricted files without anyone noticing."

Naruto laughed a little at that and reached up to wipe furiously at his face. Kakashi merely leaned his back up against the nearby bed and began to pet the boy's blonde hair.

"I didn't mean to steal anything I was just going to look but then…"

"It's alright." Kakashi cut Naruto off and took a deep breath. "I'm sure you can get them back in there before anyone notices they're gone. Just…please…next time ask me."

There was a long pause and Naruto tensed a little before finally answering. "Okay…"

"I mean it Naruto." Kakashi poked at his head lightly. "I was late realizing what happened before but we really are brothers. You can ask me anything and I will try my best to answer it…"

"Did you…did you only take me in because of him?"

"No." Kakashi shook his head. "No I took you in because I was lonely. And we both obviously needed somebody. It's too much work living alone and being alone all the time…"

"Sasuke's alone…" Naruto mumbled somewhat coherently around a yawn.

"He is, but I think he's coming around to us don't you think?"

"'suppose so." Naruto shrugged a little. With the yelling and accusations over with Naruto seemed to be deflating a little by little.

"When's the last time you slept?"

"Couple days ago."

"I suppose that's the last time you ate too. Riri says you've been in here for a couple of days."

"I guess so." Naruto shrugged. Kakashi did not press it any further and just continued to pet the golden locks until Naruto's breathing evened out and he watched his eyes close. Naruto was probably still upset about the whole truth and Kakashi could not blame him. His whole life was secret after secret.

And Kakashi had made that worse by keeping the secret. Naruto had been so angry at first about the fact that his father had been the one to cause him this burden. Bets were he was still going to be angry when he woke up but maybe now that Kakashi had been honest with him he would start asking questions.

Maybe the more he knew the less he would hate the Fourth for his actions.

But watching the boy sleep, a somewhat pained look across his face, Kakashi could easily see this was going to be something hard to swallow than the farce of the Hokage just using a random orphan. At least then it was not a personal thing it was just what had to be done. Now it was personal.

"Nii-san? You're not angry aren't you?" Naruto breathed half-asleep half awake. "You like me don't you?"

"I'm not angry Naruto." Kakashi replied back and tugged on the blanket on the bed, scattering the papers to the floor. He draped the blanket over Naruto's shoulders and watched Riri curl up at the boy's feet, now sure his master was not going to shoo him away. "And we are a family Naruto and you are the best brother anyone could ask for."

* * *

**Author note x2: **Ahhhhh the angst bunnies have been appeased. The little info sheet, most info came from the rest I was kinda winging it so …. Eh shoot me if you must but I wanted something Naruto could find of definitive info so …there it was. Kinda a slow sappy bit of fun but we're at a point of preparation and building up to fan-freaking-tastic changes and we gotta build up some motivations! :D okay off and away to feed the Farmville addiction then a week full of mornings :D goooo overtime!


	29. A New Path A New Purpose

**The Fox and the Hound**

**Chapter 23: **A New Path; A New Purpose

**Chapter Summary: **Not all destinies are set in stone. There are those who lie down and accept their fates and others still who choose to fight. And then there are those who believed at first their only hope was what was told to them but come to find there is always a different choice.

**Author Note: **Dear lord you all are going to hang me aren't you? I really, really, hate having these long of pauses in between chapters but apparently the "other story" has taken precedence and it is really hard to switch between fan fiction and fiction of your own designing. There is just this difference in writing that I can't even explain yet and the other idea has taken off like a jackrabbit. That's good in the sense of "yay I can write a book" but bad in the sense that I'm letting all you fine folks down. Readers are the backbone of this great art of literature so I feel horrible about this. I will be trying to get on a two week schedule. I know that's only one week or so less than what I am doing now but it would allow for one week to be story idea time and the other week to be fan fiction time. So every other week or so unless the plot bunnies snag me and try to bite my neck.

I think the other problem is of course we are kinda at the inevitable switch. We're going to come to where Sasuke has to make a choice and the same for Naruto in a sense. Now I'm not saying it is going to go down that way, maybe it is…maybe it isn't. BUT we are coming to a point where is this the same story or are we transitioning into a new story. Does Shippuuden-era stuff mark a new story OR should I continue on under the same banner. The plan is of course for him to go with Jiraiya, that stays the same. I was hoping to have a three chapter break from Naruto *GASP* and each chapter be a year that he is away focusing on three people: Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke. There would be of course overlaps between the three and I'm doing it merely because I want what happens with Naruto and Jiraiya to be a surprise. Well that and the other players need their face time too. But I digress. Let me try to make up my continued absence yet again.

* * *

Kakashi tried his absolute best to pop his neck without too much movement or sound. Despite it being mid-afternoon and having woken hours ago out of sheer habit there was the fact that Naruto was still soundly asleep; draped across his lap. According to Ririshii the whole turmoil had spanned a few days so it stood to reason that Naruto needed the sleep; he certainly looked exhausted; so Kakashi stayed put.

This year had been turmoil in and of itself. In a few months Naruto had gone from an academy student; a barely passing one at that; to being full thrown into at least two if not more larger scale confrontations, learning about the Kyuubi and of course now; his father. Of course that last one led to so many other conclusions that even Kakashi was having a hard time thinking of all the other minor or not so minor conclusions Naruto might draw.

Kakashi reached up behind him and plucked one of the top papers from the stack above him and just stared at it without really reading the words. Maybe that was why the Sandaime just did not outright destroy the files; maybe he knew Naruto would someday seek them out and find them. The older man seemed rather good at predicting such things. How he could have predicted such a thing Kakashi could not guess but it seemed a common theme in the Kage's of late. They were exceptionally good at reading people.

It was hard to read Naruto after the initial flux at first. He seemed very angry and bets were he would remain that way for a while; Kakashi could not really fault him or blame him. At first that anger was rested solely on himself for going through and finding that information; then it jumped to Jiraiya for even giving him the idea and then finally to Kakashi himself because he was in the room and Naruto could lash out at him.

"_Or because he felt betrayed." _It still stung a bit to think about it and Kakashi did feel somewhat guilty. He had since the day he took Naruto in. At the very least he could have told the boy about Kushina. What harm would that have been and it would have given Naruto 'something' to hold to…some sense of family.

But he did not and continued on the lie. Only when he was faced with the idea that Naruto did know, did he say anything at all.

In the end though he logically knew that this was something Naruto had to come to terms with on his own much like learning about the demon fox. If he pushed too hard or tried to explain too much without Naruto's asking, the boy would see it as Kakashi defending his teacher and what he did. No, he had to let Naruto mentally and emotionally figure out how he would accept the Fourth.

Riri shifted next to them and Kakashi turned his eye to the dog. The animal's ears swiveled back up to him but otherwise he did not move his head to look up at him, afraid of doing what he himself was afraid of; waking Naruto. The boy seemed rather heavily asleep so he reached out carefully and began scratching at the back of Riri's head. The dog had seemed just as upset as the boy last night and had felt somehow it was his fault.

"_His whole life revolves around secrets. Ninja must deal with that but he's been dealing with it since he was old enough to understand." _Kakashi sighed and returned the paper to its pile and continued to scratch at the dog; staring at the ceiling.

Ririshii was the first to move out of all of them. He nudged at the window and went out quickly. It was only moments later he returned and sat atop the bed watching them both. Those chocolate eyes were sad still but he was no longer whimpering as he had been the night before.

"Riri, it wasn't your fault." Kakashi whispered and sighed. "He probably didn't want to hurt you."

"I..know." Riri sniffed at his forehead protector. "Still I left him. Kiba's right…."

"Kiba?" Kakashi perked up a little and raised his eyebrow. "As in the Inuzuka boy Naruto and you fought?"

"Yes. Pakkun suggested I ask the Inuzuka for help. Most of what he and your dogs can do involve tracking. "

"Pakkun?" Kakashi straightened carefully and turned his head to Riri. "When did you have the chance to ask him something like that?"

"Naruto summoned him while we were hunting for Tsunade." Riri huffed. "He was training me while Naruto learned that swirly ball that Jiraiya taught him…the Rasengan?"

"The Rasengan, yes." Kakashi nodded. "Naruto summoned Pakkun?"

"Yes. Pakkun was surprised too, since Naruto summoned a toad first."

"It is hard to learn to summon two different summons, but it is possible." Kakashi shrugged a little. "So you went to talk to Kiba then?"

"Akamaru." Ririshii corrected. "Then Kiba."

"Of course." Kakashi chuckled. "So? Is Kiba still hot at losing to you both?"

"A little." Riri's ears lowered and he looked up at the door. "Pinky…"

Sure enough there was a knock on the door. Naruto came up groggily and rubbed at his head before glancing up at him and Ririshii. "Nii-san?"

Kakashi merely patted him on the head and stood to go answer the door. He cracked his neck fully, now free from the worry of waking the blonde then tugged on the door. Just as Ririshii had predicted, or known, it was Sakura standing there with Sasuke right behind her.

"Sensei, you're back!" Sakura grinned momentarily then looked around him into the apartment. "Uh is Naruto around?"

"Yeah where is the loser? Neither one of us have seen him for days." Sasuke grunted and glanced up at Kakashi for the explanation.

"He's in his room." Kakashi pointed behind him. "I believe he's been sick the past few days, just a warning."

"Oh?" Sakura did not take that warning well and moved in past him. "Is he okay?"

Kakashi had to grin a bit. In a few short months the girl had gone from fawning exclusively over Sasuke to becoming somewhat concerned for both boys. If he had to hazard a guess she almost seemed to have a crush on Naruto now, not Sasuke. Sasuke followed her in to glance around at the apartment and Kakashi shut the door behind them. They knew now so what was the point in hiding it anymore.

"He's fine Sakura, just tired is all." Kakashi reassured her and leaned up against the kitchen counters to watch them for a bit. "So you two have been keeping busy I presume? Lady Tsunade has nothing but praise Sakura."

"Oh." The pink-haired girl blushed madly but smiled happily. "Really? Most of the time she seems frustrated with me…"

"Maybe you should stop closing your eyes then." Kakashi smirked and Sakura blushed more. "The Hokage would not intentionally hurt you but she isn't going to go easy either."

"Yeah I kinda figured that out." Sakura glanced at one of her shoulders and absently rubbed at it. She probably pulled something or was too slow to react to one of Tsunade's blows. "She is really fast."

"You'll catch up I'm sure." Kakashi shrugged then turned to Sasuke. "I assume you want to go out since I'm back…"

"I was hoping for Naruto actually." Sasuke shrugged. "Course you are back maybe we all can."

Kakashi was shocked to say the least but he was pleased with the answer. Sasuke found training with Naruto more productive. That was a huge relief in some sense. "Well, Naruto might not be…"

"I'm coming, I'm coming…." Naruto was finally emerging and pulling on a t-shirt over his gear. "Jees can't I have a break teme?"

"Well maybe if you would have told us!" Sakura reared up on him really fast. "You just dropped off the face of the earth for three days!"

"Sorry…." Naruto rubbed at his neck as Riri came up behind Naruto and sat down. "Didn't mean to blow you guys off."

"Whatever." Sasuke snorted and walked over to the door Naruto had exited. "What's with all the plants?"

"OH! Let me see." Sakura quickly moved that direction too as Naruto went blank. Kakashi laughed a little to himself as the two forcibly began exploring their teammates little room. "Gees Naruto how do you sleep in here?"

"It's cozy!" Naruto quickly rebounded and shoved his way into his own room to defend himself. "I've got plenty of room for me and Riri…"

"And the forest." Sasuke was smirking and pointing out the various ferns plants and pots. "Guess you weren't kidding about gardening…."

"Stuff it Sasuke." Naruto growled back playfully. "I know you have cats."

At this it was Sasuke's turn to go blank before growling and shoving his way back out into the living room. Naruto smiled to himself in proud victory as Sakura continued to look at the plants.

"Jerk…" Sasuke snorted and Kakashi really did laugh then.

"To each his own…"

"Yeah you closet perv." Sasuke frowned up at him and Kakashi merely shrugged. Riri was also happily snickering to himself as he watched. Bets were that was how Naruto had that information; Riri had smelled them.

After a few moments of Sakura asking what each and every plant was and Sasuke sulking Kakashi whistled loudly and got all of their attention onto him.

"I would not recommend training today. However, I'm starving."

"Oh yeah me too." Naruto glanced down at his stomach then grinned at Kakashi.

"Well that must mean you're okay." Sakura was snickering and coming out with Naruto to stand in front of Kakashi. "You're appetite is okay…"

"It's always okay." Kakashi snorted and just turned to open the door and exit the apartment. Naruto was trained enough to just fall into step and that was just what Naruto and Riri did. Sakura and Sasuke lagged behind a little but finally caught on, with Sakura shutting the door behind her.

"Where are we going?" Sasuke muttered as they went out into the streets.

"Dunno, that's what he does, he just leaves and sees if you follow him or not." Naruto grinned happily. "Fun to try to guess though."

"I say we ditch him and see if he follows us." Sasuke smirked back to Naruto and Sakura grinned as well. "He's the one always gone…"

"I'm also the one treating so I suppose I get to pick where." Kakashi pointed out and all three quickly quieted and followed obediently. They were still smirking and planning something but they were at least in for the free meal.

He ended in the only real place he could think of and Naruto and Riri were on the stools before he could even open a flap. Sakura grinned and sat next to Naruto and Sasuke next to her. Kakashi merely sighed and took the very end and grinned as the three caught up with Ayame and the cook.

"So what exactly have you two been doing? I know what Sakura's been doing, but not you two." Kakashi glanced at the boys while the food was being prepared. Apparently all three had usual meals here because Ayame had not asked nor given the three any nudge as to what they wanted.

"You're better off not being involved." Sasuke grunted and glanced over at Naruto who also seemed to shrink.

"I believe as your Sensei, I should be involved."

"Trust us, you don't want to be." Naruto grinned wickedly. "If she finds out you knew about it she'll really get serious."

"Who's she?"

"Is that the second proctor lady? She came in to see Lady Tsunade about Sasuke and she looked really angry." Sakura came up between them and began glaring at both of them. "What are you two doing?"

"Anko?" Kakashi turned his full attention on Naruto. "You just can't let it go can you? You're going to keep poking her until she finally snaps aren't you?"

"Hey! I'm not poking her….I'm creatively rearranging her things." Naruto muttered to himself. Sasuke also seemed to hunch his shoulders a bit.

"And booby trapping her favorite booth at the Dango place."

"Maybe, and I'm not saying for sure, but maybe hiding her trench coat atop the Third's head."

"Oh, we caught her that once in the forest." Sasuke pointed to Naruto. "I dunno who taught you those seals but they are brilliant."

"Oh yeah forgot about that." Naruto snickered. "Didn't take her long to get out though."

"Yeah well that's a test in speed. We out ran her didn't we?"

"Nah that's the night she got me with the hair…she just let us get away. Wait she came to complain about Sasuke? Not me?"

"That might have been because of the uh cat." Sasuke rubbed at his neck. "Someone let it slip she uh freaks at little kittens."

"Wha…really?" Naruto was now leaning over Sakura and grinning like a hungry beggar. Kakashi was just dumbstruck as they both forgot he and Sakura were there and went about going over the better of their pranks against the Jounin who herself had a pretty sadistic streak. "What'd she do?"

"She bolted." Sasuke grinned wickedly too. "Until she sensed me on the roof then she about beat me black and blue."

"Okay lesson number one is DON'T BE THERE when it goes down unless you are one hundred percent sure that she can't tell you're there."

"You both are insane." Sakura sighed. "What does this gain you exactly?"

"Well I've gotten better at finding her traps before I get stuck." Naruto frowned. "Lots better at hiding from her."

"Gotten pretty fast too." Sasuke snorted. "It's a really good motivator when a psycho's chasing you."

"I'm curious as to why Anko." Kakashi interjected and Naruto ducked his head again. "Just because or was there an ulterior motive?"

"I heard her say you two have been training in that forest." Sakura muttered and both boys stared at her like she had grown another head.

"What forest Sakura?"

"The one where the test was." Sakura told him as if she had a reason to. "The Forest of Death."

"You stole a key." Kakashi moaned.

"Not like you can't just jump the fence after you figure out where the traps are." Sasuke muttered.

"True, and once you get the ground down it's pretty easy to get around in there."

"And what do you two do when you get in there?"

"Spar mostly." Naruto shrugged. "Sasuke's been helping me get the Rasengan up to par, we both kinda figured out we needed to be faster."

"There are normal training grounds you know…"

"Yeah but they don't come with enemies." Naruto stuck out his tongue a bit then smiled as a steaming bowl of ramen was placed in front of him. "We don't focus entirely on each other we have to be aware of our surroundings and what's around us."

"Otherwise we get bitten or eaten." Sasuke agreed and picked up chops and began to eat slowly, while Naruto was merely shoveling at this point. Sakura sighed and shook her head but otherwise did not argue with their logic either.

Kakashi did have to applaud them they had an excellent point and they did not seem harmed or hindered by their choice. Though he was sure Anko was going to find him sooner or later. Their choice was not all that unusual though. Anko and Naruto had history and if he thought about it Anko was an excellent test of skill. She was quick to temper but she was an elite Jounin for a reason; she also had something in common with Sasuke and maybe that was why she had not killed them yet.

Naruto might have found the perfect way to keep Sasuke satisfied in his 'growth'. If they kept outrunning Anko, if they kept finding ways to get at her and get away from her they were in a sense progressing. Anko was brutal, she did not hold back much and if they were getting away…

"Anyway Sakura, Shizune says Tsunade's just as bad." Naruto finished off his bowl and turned to Sakura who had been berating them. "And I kinda believe her, I heard she just started firing balls at your head without warning."

"Well yeah, she did….but Lady Tsunade says I need to be able to defend myself if I'm going to be a field medic."

"That's true." Sasuke shrugged.

"Still what did she think you were going to be able to right off the bat? I swear she's crazy." Naruto shook his head and ordered another bowl or two, Kakashi was not sure. "She's going to hurt you that way."

"Oh like you two are trying to hurt yourselves?" Sakura defended herself perfectly and crossed her arms. "Don't worry about me I can take care of myself."

Naruto quickly backed off and focused on the ramen. Kakashi found himself chuckling without being able to stop it. Sasuke glanced sideways at him and he reached out to ruffle the boy's black hair. "I guess I didn't need to be worried after all. You three seem to have everything under control."

The three stopped their movement, or what seemed like movement with their back and forth conversation with each other, and just blinked over at him. He waved them off and finally decided to order for himself. Ayame had not immediately guessed for him.

"It's good to see you three are finally a team. And that you understand that you have to push yourselves to get further. But don't go too fast."

"We'll try not to Sensei…." Sakura finally grinned back at him.

"Not like you'll let us…" Sasuke snorted and leaned back a little to glance outside the ramen stand. Kakashi glanced that way as well. It seemed like someone was watching them and Sasuke had picked up on that. By the way Naruto had gone silent so had the blonde.

Kakashi sighed and stood. "Since you three seem so confident all the sudden, let's see what you three have learned. I'll meet you at the usual place in a bit."

Sakura nodded as did Sasuke Naruto merely hunched his shoulders more. Kakashi patted him on the shoulder and went to meet the person who had purposefully let himself be sensed. "Tell him he's a jerk Nii-san."

"I can hear you, brat." Jiraiya muttered from the other side of the wall.

"Yeah well you could have just come out and told me." Naruto muttered and stepped outside the wall and glared at the tall white haired man. "I don't like all the mind games. I don't know whether to thank you or punch you in the gut honestly."

"What did I do now?" Jiraiya blinked up at Kakashi then back to Naruto.

"Go." Kakashi ordered and Naruto complied. Sakura was quick to follow after him and Sasuke only stepped out, glanced at the two adults then shook his head and followed suit.

Once the three were gone Kakashi looked up at the older man who seemed to take to following their path.

"To what do we owe this honor Jiraiya-sama? I would have thought you would be gone for a while again."

"I stumbled across a hunting party of sorts." Jiraiya said lowly. "Seems Orochimaru has gotten a little impatient."

"Sound Ninja?"

"Yes, five of them. Three escaped after the initial butting of heads but I'm pretty sure I have an idea of where they were headed…where they might still be headed."

"They're after Sasuke then?"

"It seems. Apparently Orochimaru is not as sure about his choice anymore. Seems he might actually have cause for that concern." Jiraiya pointed after the three Genin. "They seem rather together all the sudden."

"I'm just as surprised as you. I would have thought after meeting Itachi he would be a little more inclined to give into Orochimaru's offer."

"My suggestion is to not let him out of your sight for a few days." Jiraiya was very serious. He was not joking around or grinning like Naruto was prone to.

"I will try my best but I have been on a high number of missions lately…"

"I've already told Tsunade." Jiraiya shook his head. "And I figure it doesn't hurt to hang around here for a few more days. The kid may not give into the mark, but those goons seemed rather intent on bringing Sasuke back to Orochimaru one way or another."

"Great." Kakashi groaned and rubbed at his nose which earned a small smirk from Jiraiya finally. "It hasn't been a dull moment since we got sent to Wave."

"Please, it gets fun once you get Genin." Jiraiya finally relaxed a bit and slapped him on the shoulder. "They really start surprising you after a few months."

"I won't argue that."

"So what's up with the other kid? I thought we were getting along pretty well once we got back here." Jiraiya frowned as he looked down the road. "Now he's threatening me."

"You told him he looked like the Fourth."

"Yeah so what if I did?"

"It gave him the right shove in the right direction."

"Oh finally asked a hard question did he?" Jiraiya grinned towards Kakashi but Kakashi shook his head. "No?"

"No Naruto works in a different way. He went digging through the records rooms. And finally found what he was looking for."

"Why not just ask you?"

"Well it would stand to reason I've not told him before this why would I now?" Kakashi glared at the older man. So Jiraiya had been prodding Naruto. "He knows we've all be lying so why would that change just because he asked?"

"Oh. Heh smart little brat isn't he."

"Oh yes, smart enough to find the information but not smart enough or old enough to deal with it."

"Pissed huh?" Jiraiya chuckled. "Kinda figured he'd be."

"Only slightly. I would not broach the subject if I were you."

"Okay then." Jiraiya nodded and sighed a little. "Still doesn't change a whole lot. I'll be blunt with you Kakashi; I'd like to take him as an apprentice."

"I figured that you would." Kakashi stuck his hands in his pockets and stopped as Jiraiya stopped. They were trying to stay close to Sasuke at this point but Jiraiya would not have come back solely for that surely so Kakashi assumed the other reason was Naruto.

"It's not insult to you but he does have a lot of latent potential there." Jiraiya snickered a bit and rubbed at his head. "And as good as you are…"

"I'll protect him too much." Kakashi admitted begrudgingly and sighed. "I also have less chakra than he does. You however, could give him what he needs to be able to control it."

"Not to mention he is damn good at seals. Just like his father…"

"What did the elders say?"

"Heh, about time. Tsunade's training that girl, Orochimaru wants the Uchiha, it's only natural I pick up the runt of the litter isn't it? If we can deflect the attention for now I think you would be better at teaching Sasuke. And when the time is right we integrate them back together. Right now they're too big of a target and they'll get caught if we get caught unaware."

"I think he might be open to such an idea if you're honest about it." Kakashi relented a little. "Just how long did the elders give you?"

"I told them three years. Akatsuki has a pretty set pattern of behavior and from a couple of my sources they've just caught another container." Jiraiya frowned again and glanced back up the road. "And they tend to go silent for a bit afterward."

"That's a long trip." Kakashi muttered.

"It would be yes. But consider it a vacation. It's about time I start picking up my slack isn't it?" Jiraiya replied coolly. "I owe him that much."

"So Tsunade's officially taken Sakura and you're taking Naruto." Kakashi smirked a little. "Guess Lady Tsunade was right; they are like your old team."

"Heh, they do seem that way, but don't forget, your father did take Orochimaru's place after he defected. Makes you a much better teacher than that bastard."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow and then shook his head to follow his students. It was inevitable that they would be picked up or would advance past him. So he headed straight for the training ground they favored and decided to enjoy being 'sensei' for a little while longer.

* * *

It was just wrong.

That was all there was to say about the whole day and days previous. Kakashi had seemed preoccupied once he finally caught back up with the and even after Sakura had darted off to meet with the old lady Kakashi was intent on following them. It felt wrong to just ditch him but Sasuke and he had finally looked at each other and used a few of the tricks they used on Anko and just …left.

Sasuke and he parted ways and Naruto found himself in a small park perched up in a tree with Riri by his side panting and on alert. Something just seemed odd with Jiraiya's appearance and both boys knew it. But in some ways Naruto did not really care. He still felt angry and just…betrayed in a way.

Because he had been too stupid to not shut up the voice of good reason in his own head, he had gone and done what he should not have. He did it and there was no taking it back now. There was no denying it either and as much as he wanted to deny it, to say it was some elaborate lie, there was no disputing what he saw now.

He did look like the Fourth.

He had just been blind to it. How long had he looked at that picture? How long had he been told the stories of the great hero of Konoha? How painful did it have to be for Kakashi to look at him year after year?

"_No… that's stupid…he's never really acted that way. He's only ever looked out for me. I bet he would have told me, the Third must have told him not to…." _Naruto stopped himself and shook his head which garnered a wary glance from Riri. Naruto reached out and patted his shoulders. "I'm sorry Ririshii…I shouldn't have snapped at you a couple of days ago."

"No my fault, I should have asked before I left." Riri laid his head on Naruto's legs an snuggled closer. "I should be more like Akamaru….Kiba says we aren't in sync….that's why…"

"What the? Riri no I don't want you to be like Akamaru." Naruto sat up a little and flipped a large ear playfully but frowned. "I don't want some mutt just doing what I tell him. Granted he might be right on the whole out of sync thing… but that's my fault too, not just yours."

"Then what should we do?"

"Well for starters you can stop being so wary of Sasuke. Really Riri he's not acted like he did when he first woke up. I think Nii-san has it sealed and Sasuke doesn't want to give into it like he did before." Naruto grinned a little. "It's really fun coming out here and just venting and sparing. We really have an idea how we both move now…maybe you'd pick that up too."

"He does seem different." Riri sat back up and perked his ears to the winds. "Still….that mark…the snake…"

"I think he's scared about it too Riri." Naruto leaned back a bit and stared up into the sky he could see through the branches above him. "And I think he's trying to come to terms with what happened with his family. I bet no one tried to talk to him about it they just shoved him into that whole 'Last of the Uchiha' thing and he didn't have anything else to choose."

"And now?"

"I think he has us now." Naruto shrugged. "We're kinda like family now."

"Good. I guess I can come with you. With him." Riri looked back and smirked a bit around large canines. "Pinky too."

"Sakura's busy with Tsunade." Naruto shrugged. "OH! Reminds me, Shizune promised to help me track down Lee later."

"Oh, and TonTon?"

"Heh, TonTon's almost always with her unless she's afraid Tsunade's going to go missing again." Naruto sighed and flipped out a kunai and kept tossing it up in the air. "I swear that was the biggest mistake ever Riri, she just ups and goes missing. I hear she scared the wits out of Asuma's nephew a few days ago."

"She seems alright after a while. A challenge!" Riri barked and puffed up proudly. "We should move on to her and Anko."

"That's not a bad idea but I rather not get thrown in jail for screwing with the Hokage." Naruto finally stuck the kunai in a small branch just above him and stared at it. "Course maybe we shouldn't get caught then."

"Heh." Riri snickered and began to wag his tail. "I have missed these pranks."

"Oh yeah you've been on some of the ones with Asuma." Naruto jumped up, snagged his kunai and landed. "We should get Shikamaru. Seems he wants a little revenge on his sensei for allowing him to get promoted."

"They made him chuunin!" Riri jumped up with him and followed Naruto down the side of the tree. "They don't know what they did."

"Heh."

Naruto stopped just at the edge of the hill and stared at the village below them. They were in the park closest to the tower and the faces in the mountain. It made him stop momentarily and he just stood there in the wind. It was odd looking at the village from this angle, it seemed so small and so insignificant. But it also seemed full. You could still see all the people and the goings on.

He closed his eyes for a second then looked above him.

"_My dream, is to be Hokage." _

There above him were all the reasons not to go ahead with this dream. In the smooth surface they were finally starting to form Tsunade's face in the rock's medium. And next to her….

He stopped at the Fourth's face and just stared back at it. Was that how his face would look in the stone? Would they even put his face there? There was no one in this village at the present who would want him to be Hokage, except for Kakashi and maybe his team. And yet….

Turning back to the village it just seemed right, despite what he knew now and how he had been treated. Before he had only wanted to be Hokage to be seen,and to not be feared but now. There was something more to it. There was Choji and Shikamaru; Sakura and Sasuke; Kakashi; Shizune; Ayame and Teuchi; Gai and Lee; the list went on and on and on.

And he was a legacy. Whether the blind and hateful villagers wanted to see it or not, he was a legacy to the Fourth Hokage. Whether or not **he** wanted to accept that or not…the man was his father. He looked down at his palm; he already knew one of his father's techniques. Jiraiya had taught it to him. What if; what if there were others he could learn? He still felt absolutely betrayed by the one person who was supposed to protect him, who had sacrificed him for the sake of the village but he had his answer now. He knew his family now, he could learn just like Sasuke was could he not?

"Naruto?" Riri nudged his other hand and whimpered beside him. He reached down and clutched at the scruff that still came to his hip.

"_I'm still mad at you." _Naruto glared back up at the face. _"I still don't understand why…but I can understand why you wanted to save this place. You had people too didn't you? You had Kakashi and my…my mother… I bet you had friends here too didn't you?" _

He was still angry. He still wanted to know why it had to be his own son. But slowly as he watched out over the village he was struck with how much he wanted to protect this place despite what had happened. The best way to do that was how he and Sasuke were already progressing. But there was a desperation suddenly.

Jiraiya was back in the village for whatever reason. Naruto instinctively knew that it would not be long before the old man picked up his gear and was gone again. Kakashi knew the Fourth but he was the Fourth's student. The Fourth had specifically trained him to use his own strengths. Who had taught the Fourth to do that?

Jiraiya.

"Riri we gotta go."

"Huh?"

"Help me find Sasuke."

"Okay…" Riri cocked his head to the side for a moment surprised at the sound after such a long pause. He began lopping his way down the hill and into the side of Konoha that was still considered the Uchiha district and then began putting his nose to work.

They did not find him there and Riri slowly began tracing his way towards one of the business districts. Riri stopped outside of the shuriken shop and stopped and sat. "Here."

Naruto nodded and went inside. The man behind the counter frowned for a moment before Sasuke snagged him by his shoulder and pulled him down an aisle. "What finally got bored you dobe?"

"No, look I gotta talk to you."

"Okay fine."

"Somewhere other than here." Naruto snarled a bit and tugged on Sasuke's shirt in return. "Just …. Just come on."

Sasuke put back what he had in his hands, a handful of the smaller shuriken he preferred to use over kunai. He sighed, rolled his eyes, but he followed Naruto right back out of the store and to the edge of town near the training grounds. "What is going on with you? You act like you're in a hurry."

"I guess I am. Listen Sasuke, I gotta find Jiraiya."

"Well last we saw him was at the ramen place talking to Kakashi…"

"I know, I mean later, look remember what we were talking about the other day? Before I went into hiding?" Naruto looked around to make sure no one was nearby or had followed them. "About the family stuff?"

"Yeah so what? I thought you didn't know anything." Sasuke folded his arms in front of him and frowned. "What's gotten into you? Riri is he still sick or something?"

"I found them, okay. I couldn't let it go again and I found them this time." Naruto whispered and pulled out the copy he had made of two sheets. The only two that mattered. "You were right it was important."

"Shit." Sasuke glanced at the paper and then shoved it back at Naruto. "I guess it was important. Does…does Kakashi know about this?"

"Yeah of course he did." Naruto frowned and put the paper back in his scroll bag. "But that's not really important. I learned the Rasengan from Jiraiya. It was the Fourth Hokage's jutsu. Jiraiya was trying to point me that way already. Well what if the old man knows other things he knew?"

"Other jutsu that the fourth knew?" Sasuke blinked and shrugged a little. "He probably does. The man was supposedly his teacher right?"

"Exactly. What if the old man can teach me what he knew?"

Sasuke's eyebrows went up and he stepped back for a second. "Well that would make you pretty dangerous."

"We promised each other not to get left behind. I don't want to leave you guys behind. But Jiraiya is going to leave again, that's what he does. I…I think I have to go with him."

Sasuke snorted but nodded his head a little.

"You gotta promise me something Sasuke." Naruto smiled a little seeing no argument from his teammate. "You gotta promise you don't leave while I'm gone. Orochimaru still wants you. He'll come find you if you don't go to him. If I leave someone's gotta keep an eye on Sakura. And Kakashi… he'll be lonely. I mean…"

"Yeah I get it you loser. " Sasuke muttered back and shook his head for a second before holding out his hand to Naruto. "I promise."

"Really?" Naruto grabbed his hand back and stared at the dark-eyed Uchiha. "You really promise?"

"Well how else am I going to see if you come back stronger or not if I don't stay here?" Sasuke grinned a bit. "And Kakashi's a lot safer than that guy. Sakura said he threw you off a cliff."

"It got his point across trust me."

"You have to promise something too, you know." Sasuke let go and folded his arms again. "You have to come back you know. You can't just start wandering around like that old man."

"Definitely I promise!" Naruto grinned in return. "Look Sasuke, just…just go to Kakashi okay. He'll look out for you I promise. He might even know something…about what happened."

"I already asked when we were training but I know okay. Get out of here you loser I was trying to get some decent gear before you interrupted me."

Sasuke waved over his head and stalked back towards the village. He still had his moment of jerkiness but Naruto really did believe him when he said he promised. He could later ask Kakashi to keep an eye on Sasuke, and his plants, but first he had to find the old man.

"You really want to leave with Jiraiya?" Riri started after him as he walked back through the village towards the bath house. He knew that had to be where Jiraiya was. That was where he had first run into the old man. "You want to train with him instead of Kakashi or Sasuke?"

"Yeah, I know I'm crazy right. But the more I think about it Riri, the more sense it makes. I can continue to learn seals from him and he's a Sannin right? Sakura's training with a Sannin…"

"What about Sasuke?"

"He'll be better with Nii-san than I would." Naruto cringed a little admitting that but it was the truth. Kakashi was a sprinter and he was a marathon runner in terms of chakra. "The Perv maybe a perv and a jerk sometimes but I think maybe he's my best bet you know?"

"I agree." Riri nodded and wagged his tail slowly. "And most of the time it will only be us so maybe we'll be in sync more."

Naruto grinned big and stepped up his pace. "Then you're in?"

"Of course I am! You're stuck with me."

"Alright then let's go bug the Pervy Sage." Naruto took to the rooftops. "He's stuck with us now."

* * *

The apartment looked surprisingly clean suddenly. Kakashi took note of it as he stepped in the door and glanced around. He merely stopped and kept his guard up and waited. It was highly possible that Naruto had taken that pent up anger and returned to his pranking. Asuma had found him late in the evening as he was coming back from Sasuke's and pointed at his now missing beard.

Kakashi had not been able to stop laughing at first and then pointed to the lovely '10' left behind in scruff just behind his ear. _"I don't think that's Naruto's work, seems to me you're __**Chuunin**__ has a grievance." _

Granted now it almost seemed like Naruto had picked up his old habit. Why else would he be trying to lull Kakashi with actually cleaning the apartment? Hell it even looked like his room was somewhat organized into small bags or piles. Hell he had gotten Sasuke on board for torturing Anko had he not?

"Naruto?"

The blonde spikes popped up over the couch and curious blue eyes blinked at him as he sat there atop of Ririshii. "Yeah Nii-san?"

"You feeling alright?"

"Yeah fine? Why?"

"Your room looks habitual."

"Oh yeah…uh…well I'm kinda packing stuff up." Naruto blushed hard and put down the piece of paper he had been scribbling on before. "I kinda talked to Jiraiya today."

Kakashi took a deep breath and nodded. Okay so Jiraiya was not wasting any time here. He waited and Naruto continued on. While he glanced around him at different things placed beside him.

"He said he'd train me for a couple of years and I kinda figured maybe I should put my stuff up if I wasn't going to be here…" Naruto flipped up one of the papers he had been writing on. "Sakura promised to water my plants. I don't think I can make tags that will last three years yet. Just leave the window open for her or something…"

Kakashi took a few more steps in and looked at the detailed notes he was writing for each plant. Sakura was about to have a crash course in tending Naruto's garden it seemed. "You're okay with his idea?"

"His idea? I'm the one that bugged him!" Naruto frowned and furrowed his brow up at him.

"You bugged him?"

"Yeah? Why what did he tell you?"

"He asked me if it was alright to take you as an apprentice."

Naruto's mouth dropped open. Riri came up to stare at him as well. "You're joking. And he made us beg him for two hours! I'm going to get him sooo good when he finally gets comfortable."

"You went to find him? Might I ask why?"

"I just did. I mean if I stay here they'll keep coming here to get me right?" Naruto was lying it was in the way he ducked his gaze and slid down to the floor to be farther away from Kakashi. Kakashi leaned on the couch and looked down at the mess of blonde hair below him. Why lie?

"Naruto…"

"Should I have asked you first?" Naruto peeked up at him sheepishly . "I mean, if he asked you…"

"No it is solely your decision Naruto." Kakashi sighed a bit. "And I think it is a wise choice if you feel comfortable with it. Jiraiya-sama knows many things I could only imagine."

"You'll keep training Sasuke right?"

"If he wants I suppose…"

"I made him promise Nii-san and he did; he promised not to leave. And I promised you'd look out for him." Naruto again turned his gaze up and blue eyes bore holes back into his forehead protector.

"Well then I guess I have no choice then." Kakashi chuckled and came over the back of the couch and sat just behind the blonde. "When does Jiraiya propose you be ready by?"

"He said a week. Said he had important research to do." Naruto stuck out his tongue and frowned. Kakashi smirked again and reached out to ruffle his hair. Jiraiya had said three years; that was a long time now thinking about it. But it would be good for him. Who was after Sasuke was threatening enough but something about not knowing who was after Naruto for sure made it worse to think about. Jiraiya could protect him better than they could and Jiraiya had a point; all three of them together made for a big target in one place.

A part of him had wanted Naruto to balk at the idea though. Naruto seemed like the glue that was holding the four of them together at this point. He glanced at Riri, the dog was snoring quietly behind his back. "Riri is going too I suppose?"

"Sure he is." Naruto went back to his work of writing down instructions for his plants. "He says he has to keep an eye on Pervy Sage."

"Do you actually call him that?"

"Yes. That's what he is, a perv."

Kakashi snorted and stood. He walked over to his smaller bookcase and begun to dig around. Finally he found a small plain brown book and tugged it out. He came back over to the mini desk Naruto had made of his coffee table and for a few seconds he saw the little four year old entertaining himself by drawing on stray pieces of paper.

When Naruto finally looked up he held the book out to him and gingerly Naruto took it.

"You should read that before you go." Kakashi pointed to it and proceeded down the hallway for a long shower. Just because his brain logically told him it was better for Naruto to have decided on his own it did not make it any easier to take. "It's Jiraiya-sama's first book. I think you'll actually like that one."

* * *

**Author Note x2: **Okay slightly shorter but ohhhhh so sweet. YES I'm keeping the not so emo-bastard! Shove it Orochimaru! I think if one person would have actually took the time to listen to the little emo before it got all "I'm gonna kill a man" Maybe he'd had stayed. Maybe just because keeping up with Naruto is enough for him since Naruto is not quite the dobe he was in the original was enough to say to hell with the snake, I rather see how this works out.

Two, we can blame Transformer: Revenge of the Fallen soundtrack for helping me on this one. It was not supposed to be so short and it was not supposed to happen yet but … yeah ….there are some tracks on that thing that just inspire and suddenly I had Naruto staring up at the faces! Heheheheh Granted I am not having him 'accept' his father just yet. I am having him accept what it could do for him to have the Fourth as a father. He does not like what he did, he still feels betrayed but Naruto's a smart boy…. If he looks like daddy sooner or later people are gonna notice, especially as he gets older ;) He is a Legacy and Legacies are powerful things.

Three: yes I am planning on the three year break chapters. Kakashi, Sakura and Sasuke are going to develop while he is away and it's easier to catch up with ONE character when that character returns than it would be with three. Not to mention Year One Chapter is slated to be Kakashi and as much as I love Naruto….I love Kakashi more so perhaps that means faster updates this time *I know I am soooo horrible at this point*

Four: I ended it where I did because of the book. I see that book as a bridge of sorts. Yes we all know through flashbacks that it is where Daddy got the idea for Naruto's name; yes it kind of gives Jiraiya some responsibility for the boy; and yes it might just make Naruto see they really are alike. We're not seeing this persay, but the book has been used as a bridge before; just this time it's Kakashi and not toads.

Okay I'm off….vacation is nearly over…. I got to take a nice drive and relax…. And hopefully you all don't raise the pitchforks just yet :D


	30. Missing Moment: First Days

**The Fox and the Hound **

**Missing Moment: Age 4**

**Chapter Summary: **The fast changing routine seems to be unsettling…for more than just Naruto.

**Author Note: **I'm REALLY sorry. This isn't even a case of my other story took precedence; it is more like Real Life took precedence. First my faithful car of 5 years decided to no longer start which ended up equaling 542 dollars; my Loan Deferment was denied the first time despite working a shitty job, and so I had to take legal proceedings to get them to see I HAD a shitty job; I found out I was hypoglycemic and had to make major diet changes and start planning meals that were not of my normal staple (is a very picky eater). With all of the financial and medical shit going ON (took three tests to finally find out why I was having headaches at 6am most mornings) I was just too emotionally/mentally/physically drained to do much more than sleep and or go to work. I also signed up for a LOT of overtime since the car was out of commission and I knew it was going to hurt a lot to fix it. I'm also getting some lovely dental work done come Saturday and it too is going to hurt (literally) and cost a pretty penny.

It does not change the fact that I have not updated since May. This is horrible. So allow me to offer up this small and measly offering to you and I am going to re-read through the previous chapters to get myself back in the setting of the story and to some touch ups and I'll make it up to you. For those of you that have liked Strength of the Wolf; that plot bunny has been nibbling slightly again so maybe both stories want to come back…not sure yet if everything has subsided yet catastrophe wise or not but hopefully the worst is over and things can finally calm down again.

This goes inbetween portions of chapter 1. I needed the fluff and thanks to Firstar28 for the idea :D

* * *

Kakashi found himself baffled by his own behavior.

In the past two weeks he had in short order: found a four year old child, in a sense 'adopted' him and was now 'walking' him to the academy. This was not his normal behavior and yet there he was in one of the more standard ninja outfits; the basic vest and black regalia, instead of his usual ANBU get up and mask.

He kept his pace slow and his hands in his vest pockets to allow for the much smaller boy to keep up with him. Behind him Naruto trailed slightly, wary eyes keen to each and every street they passed. Kakashi also noticed the slight flinching that would occur whenever a person would direct their attention towards them.

It was somewhat odd to see this new persona. For the last few days, in the safety of Kakashi's apartment, Naruto had been somewhat outgoing. He smiled a lot and talked in rushed words whenever Kakashi summoned Pakkun to keep an eye on the four year old. The only other times he had seen this timid behavior had been when he had first found Naruto in the alley.

Kakashi could only hope that where they were heading would alleviate some of the fear even though logic told him it would only make it worse until everyone adjusted.

Today Naruto started at the Academy.

The Hokage had finally decided the best place to put Naruto and had worked him into the class of his choosing. According to the Hokage the teacher he was putting Naruto with would probably be somewhat distant at first but he would eventually turn to Naruto's favor.

What baffled Kakashi the most was that he was _hoping _that the Hokage was right. Because if he was not…

A loud door slam startled Naruto and soon Kakashi felt the little blonde's hand clutching to the looser fabric of his pants. Naruto's head barely came up to Kakashi' hip so it was a logical place for him to snag in a panic but it still startled Kakashi himself.

After a few seconds Kakashi recovered and reached down to ruffle the much neater spikes. He had finally convinced Naruto to cut his hair after some coaxing and bribing. He sighed as Naruto's grip barely loosened and continued to look for the door that slammed.

Maybe he should have just picked the boy up, gone by rooftop, and let him loose somewhere near the school and told him where to go.

But then Naruto would not learn the path home and Kakashi highly suspected that was why Naruto was so keen on watching the streets they passed. So instead he continued to keep his pace slow and his one eye out for anyone that might act on the fears they were voicing and displaying.

When they finally arrived at their destination Kakashi stopped at the first section of fencing and glanced down at Naruto. The boy had stopped with him and was watching as parents were dropping off children around Naruto's own age. Kakashi waited a little hoping that it would prod the blonde out of his quietness and Naruto would be excited as he was the other night as when the Hokage explained to him he could go.

Instead of that reaction Kakashi got something completely different.

"Did I do something wrong?"

Kakashi flinched inwardly and blinked down at the now-wide eyes peering up at him shyly. "What?"

"Did I do something wrong?" Naruto pleaded again and looked back over at the gathering of adults and kids just starting to part ways from one another so the kids could go to their teachers and the parents back to their homes. "Whatever I did, I'm sorry…I can fix it…"

"Naruto you didn't do anything wrong. Why would you think…"

"Why are you taking me back? It's a different building but…" Naruto cut Kakashi off, those expressive blue eyes darting back over to the doors and the teachers ushering their students inside. He frowned and began to tug at the edges of his shirt in a nervous fit. "I'm really sorry…really."

Kakashi crouched down and rocked on his heels a bit regarding the small four year old curiously. He had not even thought to explain where they were going; because the Hokage had told Naruto a few days ago. Looking back over to the gates and the doors of the academy he could see how Naruto might see just another orphanage. It was regimented and it was children being herded around by a lot of adults.

"Naruto, you didn't do anything wrong, I promise. Remember what the Hokage told you about school? This is the school. Those other children were dropped off by their parents so they can start learning to be ninja."

"Like you?"

"Yes like me." Kakashi nodded and sighed a little bit. Children were hard enough to deal with and he realized suddenly he had forgotten the fact of Naruto's age. Just because he had been a genius at that age did not mean others would be as well and most four-year-olds had to have things explained to them…constantly.

"You came here too?"

"Yes." Kakashi scratched at his head and saw that most of the stragglers had already gone inside and the outside was now calm and serene. "_Oh well, I guess I can just play it off as my usual lateness." _

"Can Pakkun come with me?" Naruto glanced back at the red doors then back up to Kakashi's chin, not really meeting with his gray eye.

"No he can't. But when you get home I promise he'll be there. You remember how to get back?" Kakashi pointed back the way he had come and Naruto nodded shyly. "Good. I'll take you inside and you can meet your class. I will see you when I get home alright?"

"You promise?"

"I'm not leaving you here Naruto." Kakashi stood and pushed a little on the boy's head to get him to start walking again. "It's not a bad place or a bad thing, and you can come back to the apartment afterwards if you want. Or you could stay here for a while as well."

"Why would I stay?" Naruto frowned instantly as Kakashi reached out to open the large door in front of them.

"To practice. Or to play with the other students, those sorts of things." Kakashi shrugged. He was not really sure how to answer the question. He had always just left as soon as they were let out so he could go back home and back to…. "Come on we're already late."

"Jiji says you're always late." Naruto murmured.

"Does he now?" Kakashi murmured in reply as he looked around the hallways. He kept walking till finally he caught sight of the man the Hokage had described. He was a meek looking Chuunin with chocolate brown hair pulled behind his head and a long fresh scar on his nose. He barely looked old enough but Kakashi was not there to really question the promotion practices of the teachers. "Here we are."

Kakashi's speaking drew the Chuunin's attention and soon dark eyes were peering at him questioningly and then down to Naruto. A look of recognition flipped momentarily in his eyes and then he apparently remembered his duty and turned towards them. "Can I help you?"

"The Hokage asked me to escort this boy here." Kakashi muttered a bit and pushed Naruto gently forward. "He said he was a new placement."

"Oh, right, Naruto correct?" the man actually did address Naruto in the last bit and Kakashi nudged the blonde with his elbow and nodded his head up towards the teacher, hoping Naruto would respond.

"Yes sir." Naruto finally responded and took a quick, curious glance around the room. The children were now very interested in the newcomer in their midst and some were craning their necks to get a look.

"Take a seat. We'll let you slide this time but you are expected to be on time every day, understood?"

"Yes sir."

The man took another quick glance at Kakashi himself, noting the short sleeves Kakashi had decided to wear instead of the longer sleeved black shirt. It was the one thing he had left exposed as a reminder of his rank. After a quick glance the man returned to the head of the class and Kakashi merely turned on his heels and headed back out to report for the most boring of tasks, guard duty at the tower.

Every so often he pulled that short straw and he highly suspected that the Hokage had pulled it on purpose because of today's importance. The old man was delighting a little too much in the interest Kakashi had paid Naruto. He was merely giving the boy a safe place to sleep and food. It was not like he had adopted the boy, he was barely home as it would be.

Still, Kakashi found as he put more distance between himself and the academy he could not help but look back to check and make sure the boy as not following him. Once he could not see the building he went back to watching the idle movements of those around him as he made his way towards the Hokage's tower. He mentally went through his checklist of gear that he had packed way earlier in the morning.

He did not really need much and his being in a Jounin outfit instead of ANBU get up was not that big of a deal because he was going to be the 'hidden' guard today. That involved long hours sitting/standing in an undetectable way in the Hokage's office and keeping an eye on whoever the guards outside missed or let through. If anyone made so much as a threatening twitch towards the Hokage his orders were very clear.

Kill.

But most of the Hokage's dealings in the day were more of the mundane type: village elders, council seats, clans, and the like. Like any other ANBU he would rather have a mission but all understood the importance of this role. For masks could be deceiving and an assassin could come from anywhere and anyone; even a fresh-faced five-year old.

He was also late so he merely positioned himself in his favorite place, a small ledge just outside one of the windowsills. The Hokage had made a quip to Naruto about his lateness so it was clear the old man knew he would be late. It was one of those things Kakashi still was not sure what he was doing. He always chided Obito on his tardiness and made it a point to be on time, if not early, everywhere he went. But lately he had found himself putting off or wandering around before actually showing up to his intended destination.

Kakashi reached to his pouch and pulled out a package that had arrived yesterday. It was small and square and oddly enough had no return address or name other than his scribbled on the brown wrapping. He supposed he should have been a bit more wary of the object, when did he ever get mail, but something about the hand-writing seemed non-threatening and familiar.

As he turned the object over to find the edges he found a small little inked toad on the bottom corner. He blinked in surprise, staring at the odd signature. What could his former Sensei's master possibly have to send to him in particular? The man had not been back in the village since the fox's attack and the Fourth's funeral.

Just to be sure Kakashi glanced through the window and found the Hokage smoking happily in his chair and reading a small little orange book, giggling to himself almost discreetly. It was a familiar book, the Hokage was reading it whenever he had the chance lately, and apparently the older man had a slower start to his morning today.

Kakashi sighed and proceeded to peel back the paper quietly and discarded it with a quick Fire Jutsu. In his hands was a similar book to the one he had just seen in Sarutobi's hands. There was no note, or words of explanation, just the book itself. Kakashi opened it and found merely Jiraiya's name and the title: Make-Out Paradise.

"_Oh, he's gotten another book published. After that last one failed I thought he had given up." _Kakashi turned the book over in his hands and flipped through a few pages quickly with his Sharingan just slightly exposed and opened. He vaguely remembered his father's meetings with the Sannin and how excited he was to tell his father about 'books' he was going to write. "_Why does it look like…of course…its smut." _

"Now Kakashi, give it a chance before you turn your nose up at it." The Hokage could be heard chuckling from behind him and a whiff of tobacco smoke hit Kakashi's nose. The Hokage had come to stand at a nearby window, looking out over the village. The old man was grinning happily as he pretended to merely watch his beloved village from his office. "After all he went to great lengths to remember when you would actually be old enough to read them."

"Hokage-sama really, I can't be seen…"

"Trust me Kakashi. They're not just smut." Sarutobi chuckled at him and pointed discretely at the orange cover. "That is what sells them but there's more in there than that. I would think it would be less damaging to your character than your new habit of being late. Anyways, think how disappointed Jiraiya would be."

"That's blackmail."

"Hmmm" Sarutobi took another long drag on his pipe and let it out slowly in a billowing cloud. "So, how late did you make Naruto today?"

"I was not the one making him late. I'll have you know we were there five minutes before classes started." Kakashi snorted and decided the book was better than this conversation the Hokage was trying to start with him and began to read the first page slowly.

"Oh? And how did he make himself late?"

"He thought it was another orphanage so he balked." Kakashi shrugged a little and turned the pages. The first page was nothing but setting up the smut, was that all the Hokage was suggesting was there along with the smut?

"Ah, he thought you were leaving him." Sarutobi snickered a bit and brown eyes came over to watch the younger ANBU captain. "He's become quite attached to you in the past week or so."

"Hmmm"

"But apparently not so close yet that he trusts you completely." He went on when on when Kakashi offered no more than a disinterested hum.

"He trusts Pakkun more than he trusts me. Naruto wanted to take Pakkun with him, actually."

Sarutobi laughed a bit and shook his head. "Well of course he does. There is no question to the loyalty of a dog, even a child knows that."

Kakashi glared over at the Hokage. Sarutobi merely grinned to himself and ignored the angry, silent jab. Kakashi went back to the book and silently tried to distract himself from how easily he allowed the Hokage to get that particular point in.

"I believe he trusts you anyway, he is more afraid of disappointing you than anything." Sarutobi frowned around his pipe and glanced towards Kakashi yet again. "Disappointment usually led to reprimands and other un-pleasantries I'm sure. Did most of the teachers seem receptive to him?"

"Most did not see him, only the one you assigned him to be under for most of the day; Umino was it?"

"Yes, Iruka's a new teacher and has a slightly 'lighter' approach than the others. He's young but he does well with the children."

"A teacher, not a babysitter, Hokage-sama." Kakashi muttered, remembering how any of the 'lighter' approaching teachers were called upon as babysitters not teachers back when he rose through the school. Anyone not willing to drill home the point that being a ninja was a hard life was seen as too light, and babying the kids. It made for quick deaths and disappointing failures.

Of course they were no longer at war either and such quick upbringing was frowned upon by the Third.

"Hmm still stuck in your old ways it seems. Give it a chance Kakashi. Perhaps it will work a miracle."

"Doubtful, but I will trust your judgment."

"Is that so? Why then, might I ask, are you showing your tattoo when you are clearly not on ANBU business today?" Sarutobi pointed with the end of his pipe to the exposed end of the marking that signaled he was an ANBU Black Ops.

"It is merely a reminder Hokage-sama that he comes under your and your law's protection." Kakashi responded in kind. He still pushed on the short sleeve a bit to try to completely cover the marking. Normally one hid their badge of honor but today he had left it slightly exposed. Probably for all the reasons the Hokage was hinting at, but he refused to admit such a folly.

He was supposed to be setting an example, showing what a true Shinobi was capable of. Instead he was worrying silently in the back of his head whether or not a four-year-old blonde was okay or not within the village's boundaries.

A four-year-old he had only met two weeks ago.

"He will have a rough time, of that I am certain. People are very reluctant to let go of the past and their grief." Sarutobi stated matter-of-factly as he returned to his desk. "But I am certain you will do what is best for him and I will trust **your** judgment, Kakashi."

Kakashi mulled the words over and sighed. He did something purely on instinct and look where it had landed him. Still it was not all that bad; he actually enjoyed Naruto's company in the apartment. It was fascinating to watch the boy figure things out and entertain himself.

The parade of dignitaries and requests began to flow into the room. The Hokage returned the little orange book to his right hand desk drawer and he intently listened to each person who came in. There were arguments and debates throughout the day but for the most part it was yet another boring post. Kakashi found himself reading and actually enjoying the little orange book he had received.

He found himself reading it as he followed after the Hokage towards a large room a few levels down and continued to do so while the Hokage and others handed out missions to teams of Chuunin and some new rookie teams which got the standard D-Ranks. All except for one team, which Kakashi recognized and turned his attention towards while they were there; a Jounin with two older boys and a young black-haired boy who seemed out of place.

Uchiha Itachi…a prodigy that had just graduated according to Asuma and Kurenai and there he was with a team of older Genin looking disinterested and unaware of the glares the older boys sent him. They received a C-Rank, maybe because of the two older Genin or perhaps because of the Uchiha, Kakashi was not sure.

It was still hard to see another Uchiha around the village and not look away in guilt. Itachi had no way of knowing what was hidden under his headband and the Clan as a whole chose to ignore him after the initial flux of outrage so there was no reason the boy would recognize him as a former teammate of his would-be uncle.

Time dragged on slowly and as the sun began to get lower and they returned to the tower and his post outside the window he began to finger his thumb. He had promised Pakkun would be home when Naruto returned from the Academy. But would the boy stay behind to play or would the other kids shun him like the adults did? What time should he send Pakkun back to the apartment now shared with the boy?

How would Pakkun handle this constant summoning? Sure the pug was the one to find the kid but he was a ninja hound not a babysitter. As of late Kakashi had been summoning him more frequently just for the sake of the child and he still was not sure how the pug was dealing with that fact.

"Why don't you go Kakashi?"

Kakashi looked up at the Hokage, now back at his desk reading over reports and signing a stack of papers. "Hokage-sama?"

"I said you are dismissed, Kakashi."

Kakashi stood, bowed, and decided to not to fight the older man on this. After all it could be seen as a mission he was undertaking, keeping an eye on the boy. If not him some other nameless ANBU or Jounin would have been assigned, or so he gathered from Sarutobi's line of thinking a few weeks ago.

He positioned himself along the most direct route from the academy to the apartment. It was not a long walk, seeing as Kakashi lived relatively near the complex, for a boy and he wanted to see what it was Naruto decided to do on his own instead of just meeting him like the other parents did their children.

"_Of course I'm not really a parent either. A guardian…" _Kakashi thought as he scraped his thumb and went about summoning the familiar pug. "_Maybe it's no different than guarding the Hokage, be silent and stay in the shadow until he needs me…"_

Pakkun came in a puff and shook out his fur before sitting obediently at Kakashi's feet. "Where's the runt?"

"The Academy. He should be coming by here soon." Kakashi muttered and leaned up against a nearby wall and pulled the book out again, berating himself for doing so but not really able to put it down now that he had started.

Sure enough in about ten or so minutes a dejected little blonde stalked past them, keeping his head low and eyes away from everyone.

"_Well that's not good." _Kakashi sighed and pushed off with his shoulders to start tailing the boy. "Naruto?"

Predictably Naruto jumped and looked nearly ready to bolt but the tone of Kakashi's voice and the familiarity halted the panic and Naruto turned bashfully to eye him. As soon as he caught sight of Pakkun a grin broke out and the little blonde rushed forward to hug at the animal.

"Heya Runt." Pakkun allowed Naruto to pick him up and carry him as Naruto waited for Kakashi to start leading the way as was their custom. Kakashi merely watched the exchange from his vantage point above the two and grinned a little behind his mask.

"_There is no question to a dog's loyalty. Hmph, well I guess he's right. And it doesn't hurt for now to let him have Pakkun for a little bit. I bet Pakkun loves the attention." _

"I thought you said I would see you at home?" Naruto finally worked up the courage to question Kakashi's presence.

"I decided to make sure you knew the way back." Kakashi muttered a bit. "How was the academy?"

Naruto quickly ducked his gaze and squeezed Pakkun a little tighter. Kakashi sighed and shook his head.

"I don't think people like me." Naruto said very quietly and took a quick glance up at Kakashi.

"It's because you're new. Give it some time Naruto." Kakashi tried to reassure him a little and began walking. "What do you say to ramen? To celebrate your first day? I bet Ayame wants to know you're going to the academy."

"You think so?" Naruto started after him. "You think she wants to know about Chakra?"

Kakashi laughed. He could not help it because it sounded so serious coming from the blonde. Apparently their lessons were centered just on learning about one's chakra first and then learning jutsu and techniques. They would probably also start conditioning them in the guise of a 'recess' of sorts.

"Is that what you learned today?"

"Yep. And I knew about it already cause you said that's how you summon Pakkun." Naruto grinned a little, his eyes closing in pleasure as he smiled up at the older teen. "And how you do all those neat tricks!"

"Very good." Kakashi praised and ruffled the hair beside him. "After you learn the basics they start teaching you those 'neat tricks' as you call them."

"Really?" Naruto beamed at this prospect and seemed to finally forget whatever it was that had happened at school. Better to distract him than to let him dwell on it. "Can…can you show me some of them too?"

"Not right now, no. You're still too young. But when you get older maybe."

"You promise?"

"Promise."

* * *

**Author Note x2: **I know it's horrible my hiatus took so long. I am getting teeth removed on Saturday and Sunday will be in an induced haze but who knows that might help things get going again. :P the past two months have been hell and can only hope that August is the reprieve. Again I apologize for such a long delay.


	31. Return

**The Fox and the Hound **

**Chapter 24: **Return

**Chapter Summary: **Three years is a long time, and a long time has passed for all involved. Is home still home and is a team still a team even after being separated for so long.

**Author Note: **Okay this was not what was promised. But the intermissions were not living up to my expectations and in the interest of moving things along and getting back on the horse after all the delays I decided to jump back in. So a lot of catching up this chapter but it will hopefully get this funk offa my plate and get me back to fun and games.

* * *

The twisting in his gut only got worse the closer they got. It wrenched and pulled well before they began hitting familiar roads and once they hit those it felt like it spiked ten-fold. Around him was lush forests and the heat of the summer seemed in full swing. It was the best place to be, even after being drug all over the other nations, and he was greatly elated.

But in another sense he was terrified.

Ahead of him Jiraiya walked. The older man seemed fairly giddy at the prospect of returning to the best place to 'research' and to show of 'his' work at last. The self-proclaimed wanderer seemed just as eager and happy to be returning to the Village Hidden in the Leaves just as Naruto was.

And as elated as Naruto was himself he could not seem to pick up his pace. It seemed to slow more and more as they neared Fire Country. It was not that he did not want to go home, that was not it at all, it was that he could not help but think about all that could have gone WRONG in the time he was gone.

What if something had happened to Kakashi?

What if Sasuke left?

What if you combined those two and Orochimaru came for Sasuke and something happened to Kakashi as a result?

Would Sakura blame if something HAD happened?

What if Akatsuki had come looking for him and had done something to the village?

It was just terrifying to think that there was nothing to come back to. He glanced up at Jiraiya's back and frowned. How did the older man do such work and not feel some creep of doubt about returning where everyone he probably knew was gone? Then again that was something he learned quickly along the road; there did not seem to be a place or village that did not have at least one person who Jiraiya knew and was greeted by warmly.

Jiraiya had tried to ease his fears a bit, granted his reassurance did not ease him much. Jiraiya was sure that if something had happened to either the village or Kakashi the word would have spread pretty fast. They had heard nothing and had even seen a few random Leaf Ninja out in their travels.

"You still worry too much."

Naruto frowned to his side. Ririshii walked alongside him in his modified flak jacket and his headband looped loosely around his neck like a collar. His soft caramel eyes were ahead to Jiraiya and their path but one ear would flick in Naruto's direction every so often and those intelligent eyes would glance at him knowingly.

As much as Naruto wanted to argue with the shepherd dog he could not because he was right. And it was very hard to argue with a dog of Riri's size.

Much like his master, Riri had grown quite a bit during their trip; both in size and in ability. Naruto himself had been shocked when he realized he was just at Jiraiya's shoulder. Sure he knew he had grown some over the three year period, he was leaner and taller and his voice still cracked at the most embarrassing times, but he had not thought he had grown that much until he realized he could almost look Jiraiya in the eye without the older man leaning over.

The whole process had been lovely; he had to find new clothes in rapid successions and readjust certain ways he threw out his chakra for certain techniques but finally he was starting to feel comfortable in his 'new' body.

Ririshii had been a surprise. When he had first summoned the dog to him years ago he was sure he had summoned a full-sized animal. But a little after Naruto had turned fourteen the dog seemed to hit his own growth spurt and now the German shepherd came just to his chest with his head. He also had a great deal more bulk. Naruto was almost sure he could _ride_ the dog but felt wrong in doing so.

Gamakichi, the little frog he tended to summon more often than not for direction and training, had no such reservations and could be found riding on top of Riri's head whenever Naruto called him. Hell the two familiars almost seemed buddies and they had little tricks they could perform together in tandem with their chakra.

What was weirder was Jiraiya had smirked knowingly when Ririshii shot up in size. After some badgering on their part Jiraiya finally voiced his theory on just what it was Riri was:

"_Well he's not a summons; those require contracts, a prior agreement, and they just don't stay up as long as Ririshii has. He's not a familiar either; those are usually bred with a specific use in mind or certain animals become that way after being around chakra users for so long. The more I'm around you two, the more you both advance, it's pretty clear you've done something baffling. You've created something out of nothing. He's almost like a clone jutsu only that he's permanent and he's able to develop. __**That's **__why he shot up in size, Kid. He's tied to __**your**__ chakra. You already had a pretty good pool to play with and it would only get larger the more you develop and thus so does Riri."_

"Things will be fine." Riri snorted and stopped momentarily to shake out his fur, shedding constantly now that they were back in warmer weather. "Kakashi was going to watch everyone. After all, without you there to watch he had to find something to do I'm sure. Worrying is useless anyway."

"I know Riri, I know." Naruto shrugged and readjusted his own vest. It still felt odd wearing the item of clothing but in a sense it was a badge of honor as well. Jiraiya had thrown him head first into a Chuunin exam in Rock of all places. Jiraiya had claimed it was because the exams in Rock and few others were open to single entrants but Naruto had wondered constantly if it was just to stir up Rock's ranks. After all, what was it that Jiraiya had told him three years ago; that he had looked like his father?

"We're just really different now…and too many things could have happened."

"_**Could**_ have happened. We don't know if they did or not. And everyone else will be different too. Well save for Kakashi, he's probably the same!" Riri let his tongue lap out and lick his lips. "And hopefully Pinky still makes dumplings."

"Heh, I'm sure if you make those eyes at her she'll do whatever you want." Naruto reached out and grabbed the familiar scruff of black fur.

"Might want to try that trick yourself, Kid." Jiraiya grinned wickedly over his shoulder at them both. "She seemed to have a thing for you."

"How many times do I have to tell you she likes Sasuke?" Naruto rolled his eyes and glanced off into the brush. "And stop trying to convert me into a perv; I rather not have that reputation."

"But you're so good at picking up the girls. You don't even DO anything and they flock to you." Jiraiya slowed a bit and let Naruto catch up. "You have that natural charisma working for you."

Naruto scowled a little up at the older man as Jiraiya patted him on the shoulder. "You're way too happy about this."

"Aren't you? We're going home after all!" Jiraiya released him and took back up the lead.

"Well yeah but what if…"

"Kid, you'll be a lot happier if you realize things _change_. You can't stop it and you certainly can't ignore it so just accept it. And like I said if anything had happened I would have heard of it. I thought I finally had you trained on that network of mine."

"Most of your network is spread too thin."

"So you think." Jiraiya shook his head. "Oh well I guess spy work isn't your calling."

"No" Naruto grinned happily and patted one of his vest pockets. "Seals are."

"And speed." Jiraiya grinned in return and readjusted his pack. "Gotta say I rather enjoyed that trap you made in Rock. Quite ingenious to just engrave regular objects on the bottoms so no one would be the wiser as to what they were walking into."

"That only works in a city setting though." Naruto frowned. "I haven't found a good enough ink for outdoors."

"There's a man who makes inks in Konoha, you'll have to look him up. Maybe the two of you can come up with something." Jiraiya stopped once they had reached a hill in the road and just grinned. Naruto and Riri came up beside him and Riri sat down, his tail wagging eagerly.

Naruto had to admit it was a huge relief to look down on Konoha again. In the distance everything looked absolutely serene. There was the Konoha he remembered; except there was now a woman's face in the mountain's surface, finished and weathered like the rest of them were.

He was finally home.

It was not that he had not learned to enjoy his time with Jiraiya; it had just been a huge adjustment to going from living in a village to not being certain where one would rest their head at night. There were a few nights when it was a question of if they were stopping at all. But after he adjusted he found it exhilarating to see the next milestone; to learn about the country or territory they were in.

And sparring with Jiraiya….. Well it was a completely different experience from in school and with Kakashi. For as large as the man was he was quick and he was tricky. He also hit hard. That too required adjustment but once he finally found his ground and found that playing the buffoon earned him nothing; did he finally start to enjoy it all.

The mental game of getting under Jiraiya's skin never grew old either. It was a mental wrangling he had only enjoyed with Shikamaru up till then and Jiraiya was way harder to strike at then Shikamaru.

"Come on, come on." Riri's large head butted him in the center of his back. "First one there gets free ramen…."

Naruto began walking but found himself chuckling. "Riri, you don't have any money and the Perv isn't going to stick around long enough; remember the research after all."

"He's right!" Jiraiya was calling after them. "You boys are on your own until Tsunade calls for you."

"Fine you jerk! Not like we're ending a wonderful three year relationship!" Riri huffed but turned and began jogging down the trail that led to Konoha's gates. "Well come on then!"

Naruto finally found the nerves disappearing and his stomach spoke loudly. That was another perk to returning home, Ichiraku's Ramen was one of a kind and no matter what he found in the little towns and villages, nothing ever came close.

He easily caught up with Ririshii who was merely trying to egg him into hurrying. Riri was not worried in the least. The dog barked excitedly as he came to match his pace and only went faster. Not only was speed Naruto's strength it was Riri's as well and the dog and he easily flitted along the dirt road and wove in and out of the border of trees around it.

They loved to just run for the hell of it whenever Jiraiya found himself too occupied with research or spying, whatever he did when they went somewhere to stay for a while, and the two found more friends that way. They also found how well they could move around each other despite both being at awkward stages of growth and size.

At the beginning of the trip Ririshii worried only about one thing: his usefulness. Now the dog did not seem to have a care in the world. Riri had finally found his footing as well and the dog was dangerous and not just because of his teeth. He was a great sentry and much to both of their delight Riri was starting to learn a good deal of chakra based tricks that did not really require hand signs. Great for the paws Ririshii had.

It was now confidence that propelled both of them. They slowed slightly as they neared the gates. They did not want to start a chase through the familiar streets and alleyways; though it would be fun to find out if he could still do so without a map. The two guards at the gate looked up lazily as they came through the overly-large gates.

Naruto could feel their eyes on them but let it pass and just kept on his way down the main street. Riri puffed himself intentionally and began his happy strut. If ever he felt someone was watching them too closely Riri began to show off. It was either as a way to draw the attention away from Naruto or as a way to draw more attention to them; depending on the situation. Today, Naruto could guess that Riri was trying for _more _attention.

It was not any different from any of the other villages Jiraiya and he would visit from time to time. There was the initial interest in the stranger but instead of just going about their business, everyone was catching on that he belonged to the village. His headband clearly showed that.

So then the talk turned to the mysterious Chuunin walking through their streets. And of course the starting throngs of girls who began to smile and point. Naruto blushed hard and lowered his head down into the high collar of his vest. They did not recognize him yet but what would happen once they did?

"Again you worry." Riri sighed heavily and shook his head. "Let go."

Naruto wanted to ignore the request from Riri but found himself loosening his shoulder and standing up taller; letting each trail thin mark on his cheeks to be seen. Riri nodded happily and went back to taking up point. Each street they passed Naruto looked down and found himself remember just where it led and if anything of note was down it. It was a long time since he had been home and he felt somewhat nostalgic about it all the sudden.

He also felt about ready to pop. So instead of taking the predictable turn towards the Ramen stand he turned towards _home_-home. The apartment building stuck out like a beacon among all the familiar buildings and Naruto found himself really grinning the closer he got.

"_Nii-san will be so shocked. I bet I'm taller than him now! He always seemed so short compared to Jiraiya… I wonder how my plants are doing? I hope I told Sakura everything she needed to know for them…especially my orange azalea." _

Once to the building began to hop up, sticking expertly to the walls he could climb at a young age, and rushing up to the window he knew he could pick out in his sleep. He reached out and tugged on the edge and frowned.

It was locked.

He tugged again and looked up to Riri, just a little above him hanging from a small ledge. Riri's tail drooped a little and he sniffed the air. "What's wrong?"

"It's locked…this thing is never locked."

Without thinking about it Naruto reached back and got a small sized kunai from one of his leg holsters and slid it effortlessly into the edge and pried gently. Maybe Kakashi had been away on an extended mission and had merely forgotten to unlock the window once he had returned. He leapt in and stalled just inside what should have been _his_ living room.

Riri landed just behind him and shook his head from the rush of hanging momentarily upside down. "We'll have to find a good way to repay him for locking us out…I mean we left our keys he….."

Riri cut himself off once he got a good look around. Naruto still was not able to form the proper words. Instead of the living room he remembered full of books and with a couch that had been used as desk, bed, and hiding spot, he found himself standing in an empty room. It was just bare.

He moved forward tentatively, wondering if maybe the older man was merely repaying him all those times he played pranks on the apartment….but the kitchen was also empty. He moved to the door nearest to the kitchen; HIS room and his stomach sank more.

"_Where are my plants? Where's my stuff?" _

"It's like its stale in here," Riri whined as he trailed behind Naruto, tail low and ears back. "As if it has been empty."

They progressed down the small hallway and Naruto just found himself staring at the empty room in front of him. The room he knew first and best. There were no team pictures atop a stand, there was no familiar gear set up near the windows and boots under the bed, and it was just the plain wooden floor and the sunlight peering in from the windows.

Riri whined and muzzled his way under his arm, Naruto's own limply lying across his front shoulders. Naruto found himself trying to dispel the Genjutsu, just as Jiraiya had showed him but found the same scene in front of him. It was an empty apartment…one long since abandoned….but why?

"Where did he go?" Riri whimpered and began to sniff around the bare floors.

"I..I dunno." Naruto fought to speak and turned to go back to the living room. He poked at the secret little cubby he was not supposed to know about and saw it too had been cleared. "But…but all his stuff is gone. No one would know to look in this spot right? Only he and I would."

Riri came up and sniffed at the hole and nodded. "So only you or him would have taken what was inside."

"But where did he go? Why did he go?" Naruto mumbled and wiped off some of the dust that had begun to accumulate around the hinges of the secret hiding place.

"Maybe he had to leave?" Riri shrugged and sat down heavily beside Naruto. He glanced around behind them and to the window they had just shimmied open. "I don't know. It was home though."

Naruto stood and wiped the dust away on his vest. The dog was right, this _**was **_home for them.

And now it was empty.

* * *

Sometimes Sakura wondered how many miles she did in a day just by running errands for Tsunade and Shizune. There was also the run she did in the early morning hours with Sasuke at their usual training grounds. All combined she was sure she could have walked to Suna and back without breaking a sweat, but in the end she knew it was worth it.

On Yoshi's recommendation she had approached the Fifth Hokage and on Kakashi's insisting she threw herself full into her training with the Slug Princess. She still found herself with her former Sensei and Sasuke from time to time, but for the most part she had thrown all of her efforts into training with Tsunade.

And it had paid off. After mastering most of the healing techniques she received from her master Tsunade began to teach her what she said she had been unable to teach Shizune; her strength. And after a few rounds of being attacked in brutal ways she understood it. Chakra control _was_ everything. If you had it down to a precise science you could do exactly what the Sensei's told them they could: anything.

Now Sasuke and she had their intermittent trainings in the mornings, she did her rounds at the hospital, and then she would report to Tsunade for whatever the Hokage needed her for.

Today she stopped at the flower shop, she was running early, and looked over the flowers. It was a nice break from the hectic day-in, day-out routine she had carved out for herself.

It was something she owed to Naruto really. She had been tending to his little garden for the past three years and she had to admit he had been right; gardening was a wonderful and relaxing hobby. It was the one time during the week she could breathe and just be still…and sometimes the only time she got to see Kakashi-sensei.

"Oh Sakura."

Sakura straightened from the lilies she had been smelling. Ino was coming out of the back room, her long ponytail flipping behind her and pushing the long strip she let hang in front of her face back out of her eye.

"What are you doing here?"

"Just was taking a detour." Sakura grinned a little and rubbed at her neck. "You know how busy it gets in the summer."

"Hmph. Well good timing. Choji just flaked on me; you can come to lunch with me."

"Ino I have to get to…"

"Lady Tsunade won't miss you for an hour Sakura, gees lighten up." Ino grabbed her by the arm and began pulling her. "You and Shizune act like things will fall apart if you aren't there."

"Well Lady Tsunade might…"

Ino stopped and put her hands on her hips; giving Sakura one of her looks. Sakura finally sighed and caved in, falling into step with the girl she grew up with.

Like the typical copy cat Ino had followed her in her pursuit of medical ninjutsu. And surprisingly she had stuck with it longer than Sakura had anticipated. Soon she found herself studying with the blonde Yamanka who she had once called her friend. Slowly she had been getting back to calling her just that but for a while the two of them had one goal and they both competed over it constantly during school hours:

Sasuke.

But the more time Sakura had spent with Sasuke on Team 7 and now during their training, she had slowly begun to let up on that goal. Her goal now was to not let anything happen to her team or her village. She wanted to be just like Yoshi and Tsunade, strong women who did not need to chase after some man and stop herself short of Jounin to settle down; like her mother **wanted**.

As it was Sasuke had become more and more like a teammate and less and less like a boyfriend. They both were working really hard to achieve something different but at the same time to prove they could protect one another if the need arose.

Just like it had when Orochimaru's goons had finally made their move for Sasuke one year prior. She had been terrified, Sasuke had been too confident, but somehow or another they escaped. She herself had incapacitated one of the squad sent to retrieve Orochimaru's prize, not kill, but she got one of them at the least and they both had kept them from their goal.

Of course it only awakened Sasuke's drive a little more and the dark-haired Uchiha was either doing insane training out in the forest of death by himself, with Anko, or doing closely supervised missions as he could.

"You really need to slow down Sakura." Ino snapped her back to attention and she glared at the blonde. "Take a break every now and then."

"I'm fine Ino." Sakura rolled her eyes and flipped her hair off her shoulder. It was time to get a trim again, had she not just done that?

"If you keep trying to keep up to Sasuke you're just going to burn yourself out." Ino folded her arms in front of her and frowned over to her. "I mean you have to have a limit. Anyway, some of us other girls need a chance."

Sakura rolled her eyes again and sighed. "Ino for the last time, I am not trying to keep up with Sasuke and you can have him. I hardly see him as it is."

"But you see him. No one else from our year even remembers what he looks like." Ino snorted. "It's like he's disappeared."

"He's training."

"That's all he does."

"I'm sure you would too if a maniac Sannin wanted to use you as a guinea pig." Sakura shot back and the two ended up staring at each other like they did when they were twelve. "Gees Ino get a grip."

They walked along in silence for a while. It was pretty nice out today, maybe Ino had a bit of a point. Maybe she could take the day to just go back to the house and prune the azalea. Or she could just go to lunch with Ino and then go home for a rest. If Tsunade really needed her she would call, most days she just showed up with nothing else to do.

"Oh, who's that?" Ino perked up considerably. Sakura glanced to where Ino had turned and saw a small band of some younger girls trailing after a tall Chuunin with blonde hair. "Pretty handsome, for a blonde."

"That's all you think about Ino." Sakura sighed and was getting ready to just walk off without Ino when a loud bark startled all the girls and scattered them to the streets surrounding the Chuunin. Sakura swung back around in time to see a black and tan dog shaking out his coat as the girls ran. He snorted and huffed and then looked up to the blonde who Ino had just called handsome, and shook his head.

The dog was wearing a vest and a headband as a collar….

"_That can only mean…."_ Sakura stood transfixed on the duo, now slowly ambling down the main drags looking into all the shops and restaurants that littered the area. "Naruto…" she whispered out.

"Wait…" Ino began to ask but Sakura did not pay her any mind and began jogging forward. "You mean that's…"

"Naruto!" Sakura found herself calling out and began waving wildly over her head. "HEY NARUTO!"

Sure enough the blonde wearing a Chuunin vest stopped and turned to face her. She smiled even more as the dog stopped and began wagging his tail eagerly as she neared them. It **was** Naruto. He was finally home after his training trip with Jiraiya! Tsunade had said she was expecting them back soon but had no real definite date as to when the other Sannin would return her teammate.

As she closed the distance between them she could see those ever-expressive blue eyes watching her and she did not even let him get a greeting out before she slung her arms around his neck and just hugged. Much to her surprise she found her feet dangling just slightly off the ground as she did so.

Naruto was still awkward and she felt him shift his feet uncomfortably. Behind her she heard Ririshii's excited yips and could feel the air move as his tail wagged rapidly behind him. So to stave off Naruto's nerves she let go and landed lightly on her feet and smiled big up at Naruto.

"When did you get back Naruto?" She glanced behind her and was glad to see Ino had not followed her for this.

"Hi to you too Sakura." Naruto was blushing hard and rubbing at the back of his neck while he smiled. That grin had not changed in his absence, good, he was still Naruto. "Uh just a little bit ago."

"You're back for good then?"

"Hai, Hai." Naruto looked down to Riri and then back up. "Wow you look different Sakura. You kept your hair short though. I like it."

"Me?" Sakura could not help but laugh and point accusingly in his chest, right where the zipper of his chuunin vest stopped. "Look at you! You're a head taller than me and Riri, what the hell happened to you?"

"And here I thought you were ignoring me." Riri finally rose up on his haunches and began to rub his head on her arm. "I grew up."

"Grew up? I thought you were big enough already." Sakura knelt down and hugged the dog around the neck. "When did you guys get Chuunin?"

"A couple months ago." Naruto fingered the vest that seemed to be covering a light gray t-shirt, it was hard to tell.

"That's wonderful; you've stayed up with us." Sakura released Riri and stood, brushing the dirt from her knees and the hem of her skirt. "Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei will be surprised."

Something about what she said sparked something because Naruto reached out to grab her by one of her shoulders. Those blue eyes had gone wide and he almost looked panicked.

"Kakashi-sensei's alright?"

"Well yeah, why wouldn't he be?" Sakura cocked her head to the side and regarded the blonde carefully. He was panicked. "Why?"

"Well all of our stuff is gone." Naruto released her shoulder and glanced down at Riri who was letting out what seemed to be a sigh of relief. "We tried to go home and there was nothing there…I mean we thought…"

"Tsunade-sama didn't tell you?" Sakura blinked. Why in the world would Tsunade not tell him where Kakashi had moved to?

"I haven't seen her yet. Riri and I were kind of in a rush…and The Perv said she'd call for us when she was ready…" Naruto rambled a bit. "Actually we were racing for the ramen stand till I figured I should find Nii-san."

Sakura could not help but giggle. He was still Naruto, which was a relief. She had been somewhat worried that Jiraiya would have rubbed off on her friend in the time they were gone and that he'd come back a lecher. She was also afraid that he would not come back at all.

"Gees, well that was nice of him to blow you off as soon as you got back." She put her hands on her hips and shook her head. "Come on, I was going to go to lunch with Ino but I think I'll go with you and Riri instead! Then I can show you where Kakashi moved to."

She started heading back towards Ichiraku's. Naruto and Riri were quick to fall in step and she grinned up at the taller blonde. Ino had been right Naruto was handsome now, especially for some reason in the Chuunin vest. All three of them had been worried that Naruto would be left behind by going on to train with Jiraiya. The rest of them were able to take the Chuunin exams as teams but what about Naruto? He'd be alone. She would have to ask him over lunch how he pulled it off or if Jiraiya pulled a string somewhere to get him promoted.

"So what have you been up too Sakura-chan?" Naruto was grinning big at her and rubbing at his head again.

"Training mostly. Tsunade-sama's been a wonderful teacher though. I'm Chuunin too, actually all of our year made it that far and a couple of people have made Jounin already." Sakura opened the flaps to the stand as they reached it. "Hyuuga Neji and Sasuke both are Jounin. I swear Shikamaru is too but he hasn't told anyone."

"Damn, I gotta catch up." Naruto followed in and sat down eagerly, smiling at the back of the cook's head. "But hey good for Sasuke. He's okay isn't he?"

Sakura nodded and picked up the menu. She did not eat ramen enough to know it and it seemed wrong to be there without Naruto. "He's fine. Orochimaru tried to make a grab for him but we got lucky."

"How lucky?"

"Damn lucky." Sakura sighed. "He sent someone after him. They tried to make him pull on that curse mark but he didn't thankfully. He hasn't since the first time we took the exams."

"Naruto!"

They were interrupted as Ayame finally came back from the back of the store and was going to start taking their orders before she recognized Riri. Sakura had to admit she had not at first recognized Naruto either before the dog had triggered it. The waitress came across the counter and was doing as she had done; squeezing the hell out of Naruto and proclaiming how happy she was to see him and Riri.

Even the cook had stopped stirring and came to smile at the boy across the counter. When Ayame finally released Naruto he merely smiled a bit more and gave a quick greeting. "Welcome home."

"Yes welcome home! Things have been too quiet without you here!" Ayame gushed.

Sakura sat back and watched as Naruto instantly began spilling his guts to Ayame. He began recanting all the little places Jiraiya and he had stopped; all the people he met; all the _ramen_ he had tried but could not match to Ichiraku's.

Riri was merely wolfing down whatever Ayame brought and letting Naruto take the lead. She wanted to interject herself but something held her back and just let Naruto catch up with Ayame instead. It was one of those things she began figuring out after Naruto had left…his life before Team 7.

Sure it was pretty harsh to hear what had led him to live with Kakashi but at least the Jounin had helped him before it had gotten too bad. She had gotten Kakashi to talk once when she was watering Naruto's plants a few months after Naruto had left. The silver-haired Jounin had confessed that before Naruto met up with Choji and Shikamaru he had been certain Naruto would have always been shy; confiding only in himself, the Third Hokage, and Ayame and the cook at Ichiraku's.

It was hard to imagine at first that Naruto would be shy but she slowly began to realize it was true. There were times when Naruto would be timid and he always let Sasuke lead even though he probably had better ideas than the Uchiha.

She grinned and silently wondered what would happen now. Sasuke was used to being the one in charge but who knew what all Naruto had learned from Jiraiya. He was keeping suspiciously quiet on that one particular point.

Of course that maybe because of what Sasuke had told her the day Naruto left with Jiraiya.

"_He can't seriously be going with that man. I mean he tossed him off a cliff before the Chuunin exams. He can't possibly __**trust**__ him for three years can he?" _

"_Sakura he knows what he's doing." _

"_Oh really…then what's he doing? Getting himself killed? I know Jiraiya's a Sannin and all but what if those men show back up looking for him? What if they find him alone?" _

"_He's going with the old man because the old man trained his father." _

"_Oh is that…wait…he's an orphan…." _

"_Yeah he is now but he obviously had parents at some point Sakura." _

"_But he's never said anything…and Kakashi-sensei took him in when he was four years old. Jiraiya-sama only trained a few people didn't he?" _

"_Yeah, and only one he's really known for training too. Think about it Sakura….think really hard." _

Sure she had been shocked in a way to learn that particular truth, but how hard had been such a revelation had been to Naruto? She never had the chance to ask and somehow it seemed improper to do so now. But it definitely made sense now.

She felt a heavy weight on her leg and she peered down to Riri's brown eyes. She smiled and patted him on the head and the dog's tail wagged slowly. Riri was a welcome sight as well. The dog was just comforting to have around.

"Gees Riri, we're back a few hours and you're already begging." Naruto was chuckling over to them both.

Riri lifted his head and stuck out his tongue the best he could. "Yes and you came to the ramen stand. To each their own."

"I don't get it."

"Dumplings." Naruto put on that goofy grin he always flashed and pointed to Riri. "He loves those dumplings you made us."

"And it's been so long…." Riri again put his head down on her leg and gave her a sad look. With the color of his eyes and just how he dropped his ears Sakura found herself relenting. She had not cooked in a long time; she was always so busy and that was more of her mother's thing.

"Well I guess you deserve a welcome home too, huh Riri." She scratched between his ears and the dog huffed in content. "You both do."

Naruto blushed a bit but smiled. He slipped out a small wallet from one of the vest pockets and reached to pay Ayame who shook her head and waved them off.

"Think of it as our welcome home to you."

Naruto looked about to protest but caved quickly and thanked them both and stood. Sakura did the same and led the way out back into the streets.

Walking around with Naruto, she instantly became aware of the amount of attention he was getting. No one really recognized him and even a couple of people were mistaking him completely for someone else…the Fourth. She glanced to her side to see if it was bothering Naruto or not but the blonde seemed too lost in his own thoughts.

Riri also seemed alert, so as long as the dog was on guard Naruto did not seem to care.

"Why'd Kakashi move Sakura?"

Sakura blinked a bit at the hushed question. Naruto still sounded afraid of the answer. When he had first asked about Kakashi-sensei he sounded worried and scared. Of course he probably was, what other explanation would there be for an empty place that they had lived in for nearly eight years?

"Well it's kinda hard to explain." Sakura reached out and rubbed her arm. "But I guess he did because of Sasuke…and because he knew you'd be home sooner or later too."

"Because of Sasuke?" Naruto scrunched up his face and questioned her silently.

"Yeah somehow or another he convinced Sasuke to move in with him. Guess he was worried about him living alone all the time in the empty district." Sakura still was not sure how Kakashi had done it because Sasuke seemed to be content to be on his own. Granted he almost seemed relieved too once he had gotten settled.

"Yeah I guess it would be kinda hard to fit more than two of us in the apartment….it's just so weird…" Naruto trailed off slightly and looked back behind them.

"You'll like the new place Naruto." Sakura was quick to reassure him. "Wait till you see your plants! They have a garden now. I hope I didn't screw up too bad but they look really nice in the yard."

"Yard?" Naruto straightened and looked surprise. "There's a yard?"

"Oh yeah, it's a house. A pretty nice one. It has a little pond and a big yard and is pretty quiet and peaceful." Sakura grinned and took a turn towards outskirts of the village. "It's actually pretty close to the gates, I'm sure you passed it on the way in."

"Wonder how he got that."

"Dunno, just kinda did it though. He asked me to help him move your stuff. It's kinda still boxed up save for your plants."

When they finally came to the home Naruto looked flabbergasted at the size of it. Sakura was sure it was a big change from the small two bedroom apartment he was used to. It was a nice home, if not a little musty when Kakashi had finally led Sasuke and her to it with the stuff they had packed up. It had, as she had already told Naruto, the garden and big sliding doors. It even had another level in which Kakashi stored all of his things. Sasuke had taken one of the downstairs bedrooms, near the door and the one nearest the garden had been left for Naruto.

There was a large sitting area as you first came in and all of the rooms also had doors leading outside to the yard. She slid one of the main doors open and stepped inside. "Sasuke? Kakashi-sensei?"

Riri and Naruto followed after her tentatively. Since no one answered her she was sure that the two occupants were probably gone somewhere busy so she merely kicked off her shoes and walked down the hallway to check and see if Sasuke just was not answering her.

"Damn." Naruto was whispering. He too removed his shoes, mimicking her, and all she could hear was the click of Riri's toenails against the wood floors.

"Guess they're busy today." Sakura apologized a bit. "That room over there is Sasuke's, this one here is yours."

She opened the door and let Naruto step in. Riri stuck his head under Naruto's legs and they both just stared. It was a fairly large room compared to the room they had back at the apartment. The bed almost looked dwarfed by the room and Kakashi sometimes muttered something about a new one whenever he passed the room.

Sakura was actually disappointed that Kakashi was not there. The Jounin was a pretty kept together guy, a model Shinobi most of the time, but you could tell he missed Naruto; that first year especially. He would be just as happy that Naruto was home.

"Best part," Sakura squeezed past the two gaping fish and moved to the door that led outside for Naruto. She slid it open and held her hand out in welcome to the garden. "Easy access to your plants."

Naruto's eyes went wide and he padded over to her and stepped out onto the narrow path around the outside of the house. He looked up at some of the hanging ferns; ones she had not been sure could go in the ground or not and was too stubborn to ask Ino for help. Naruto fingered the fringed leaves and began to really smile.

He then hopped down and went over to check all of his other plants, the first being a bright orange azalea. Riri came out and sat down regally just outside the door. Sakura grinned too and sat with her legs dangling over the side of the path.

"This is great Sakura!" Naruto finally turned back to her, his whole mannerisms were lit up. He seemed pretty pleased with her work. "Thanks for taking such good care of them. I really owe you!"

"Ah, you don't owe me." Sakura shrugged and smiled, closing her eyes briefly. "You were right you know; it's a very relaxing hobby. My mom…ah…thinks Ino had something to do with the flowers I started putting around the house."

"Heh. Well if you run out of room I seem to have plenty now." Naruto turned back to the yard. It still seemed sparse and overgrown but Kakashi had refused to touch it and Sasuke was out of the question. This was going to be Naruto's part of the house. You could tell he was already mentally picturing all the things he had to do to make it a proper garden.

"We'll be outside all day." Riri huffed and lay down. "Not that it's any different from being with Jiraiya."

"How did it go? I mean he was civil this time right?"

"The Perv was fine." Riri rolled his shoulders. "Tough as hell but fine. Promise he didn't hurt him."

"That's good."

Things went silent as Naruto finally let his pack drop and began digging around in the yard to see how much was weeds and what was plants. Riri seemed to be content to snooze on the wooden planks and Sakura was happy enough just sitting there.

Until the air finally moved and she looked up to find Sasuke standing next to her. "The dobe is back."

"Hai. He's finally home."

"Didn't take him long to find his plants."

"Of course not." Sakura giggled. "Hey Naruto!"

Naruto glanced up then smirked. He jumped a bit and landed near Sasuke and straightened. "Heya loser."

"Hmph…. Think you have it backwards." Sasuke smirked back.

"HA. Well I'm taller than you." Naruto teased and put his hand on his head and raised it out over Sasuke's head. "I win already."

"Just means you stick out more." Sasuke teased back.

"You didn't let Anko get comfortable did you?" Naruto sat down and grinned eagerly up at Sasuke who was still standing there like a statue. "Oh hey grats on Jounin. Though thanks for waiting."

"Please how do you think I proved myself as Jounin? I finally started catching her." Sasuke sat down a little more slowly and glanced up at the sky. "And I tried to you idiot but you took so damn long."

"Hey! I told you guys how long the perv wanted to leave for."

"Yeah I thought you were smarter than that though. Figured you'd be done early." Sasuke raised an eyebrow and laughed a bit when Naruto sputtered for a response. "We'll have to go out to the training grounds and see who really won."

"Heh, I guarantee it was me." Naruto smirked. "You won't know what hit you."

Sakura smiled. It was just like old times. She was glad the two were picking fun at each other but not really getting serious about it. They could still be at team with some practice to catch either back up to what they were individually capable of.

"So what's the deal Sasuke?" Naruto pointed behind him.

Sasuke looked behind him, raised an eyebrow in confusion but then rolled his eyes and sighed.

"It's a lot of work being by yourself all the time." Sasuke muttered. "Plus I figured I'd be helping him out."

"Helping him out with what?"

It was Sasuke's time to sputter and he folded his arms in front of his chest and laid back in a flump. "Easier to find me for training."

"Riiiiiiight." Naruto grinned. "He grows on you don't he?"

"Hmph."

Riri chuckled a bit and smacked Sasuke in the face with his tail. "At least your hair isn't so shaggy this time."

"Look who's talking mutt. Your hair led me right to you guys."

"We were staying in Waterfall before this. It was a lot colder there." Riri huffed and curled his tail back around his feet. "Now I have to shed it all again."

"I'll have to find your brushes, Riri." Naruto stood to go grab his bag. "We can get most of it brushed out in the next few days."

He stopped though. He glanced up at the roof covering the path and grinned. "Nii-san."

"Well your reaction time is as good as ever." Kakashi's lazy draw came from above them and Sakura grinned. Kakashi must have come with Sasuke and wanted to spy at first. Or he ran into Jiraiya.

Naruto jumped up without any hesitation at all and grinned like a mad man at his 'brother'. "You scared the shit out of me! Riri and I tried to go home and no one was there! It was locked."

"Well for starters I figured you would be much taller." Kakashi flipped a page in his book and shrugged. "Secondly I thought your plants would be happier with a garden. Not to mention Sasuke needed a room."

Naruto glanced down at Sasuke and Sakura, watching from the ground. "Still the apartment was cozy… But I guess I let it slid for the garden."

"Glad you approve."

"Just where did you get it?" Naruto scrunched up his face and looked around at the size of the house and into the windows that belonged to the upstairs rooms. "It's so big and…"

"It was my father's home." Kakashi shrugged and lay back on the roof with his book to hide his face. "It's always been here I just did not have a use for all the space."

Naruto went still. Sakura and Sasuke were confused by the action but Kakashi did not seem so shocked by it. He merely looked up at the blonde and shrugged. "It's okay."

Naruto seemed uncertain about that sentiment and then decided to change the subject. He leapt back down and went for his bag. He dug through until he found what he was looking for and pulled out a green book. He came back up and handed it out to Kakashi who put his old book across his nose and glanced at it.

"Jiraiya said I could give it to you. It's not even in print yet." Naruto beamed. Kakashi reached up and took the object and quickly began flipping through the pages. "He wrote it while we were gone and he made me proof it. You two are so weird. Nothing but junk."

"You'll understand when you're older." Kakashi chuckled and put away the old book. "Well then, I guess Team 7 is officially back together. The Hokage wants us to meet her at the training field tomorrow morning for a little exercise. That includes you two."

"She knows what we're capable of though." Sakura frowned. How many times did she have to have these tests?

"She does but she's more interested in what you three do as a team."

"You're going to make us do the bell test again aren't you?" Naruto smirked.

"Maybe, maybe not. Guess you'll just have to find out." Kakashi shrugged and stood. "See you three later. I have some missions to take care of before tomorrow."

And in a puff Kakashi was gone. Sakura frowned, it seemed a short welcome home but Naruto and Sasuke did not look too disappointed in this. Hell they looked like grinning madmen. Of course the competition would flare back up but if the Hokage wanted to see what they could do as a team that would not help.

She was going to be playing mediator if they both did not get it out of their system who was stronger beforehand. So she had only one choice.

"Hey guys! Why don't we go prepare for tomorrow?"

* * *

It was a relief, a welcome relief, to see Naruto at the house earlier in the day. Kakashi had begun to worry just a little bit the closer the three year deadline loomed. What if something had happened to the pair in those three years? Jiraiya did not check back that often and even if he did it was merely a little frog that showed up and there was no real communication attached to it.

So when the Hokage had let him know that she expected to see the fruits of all of their labors tomorrow morning he knew Naruto was back and had tried not to appear in a rush to find him. But he was. He was curious to see what three years had done to the scrawny blonde.

And he was not disappointed. Jiraiya had done wonders with Naruto and he had finally filled out from that skinny kid he knew. He was much taller. He was not yet taller than Kakashi himself but he was damn close. He was taller than the other two of his team however. Sakura would probably be done growing soon and the Uchiha tended to be on the short side with a few exceptions; Itachi and Fugaku as examples.

It was just funny that the shortest of the three was now the tallest.

And you could tell from how he carried himself Naruto was not quite as plagued by doubt as he had been before. Granted he let Kakashi know he had been thrown off guard by the change of location. He had been sure the Hokage would have told him but maybe the Hokage had not seen Naruto yet and that was the reason for the lapse. Maybe he should have left a note.

As a precaution, he kept the apartment even if it was empty.

The biggest two changes was Naruto being Chuunin and Ririshii. He was not sure where Jiraiya had been able to work Naruto into a team for an exam but he apparently had a connection somewhere and Naruto had passed. Ririshii was a bit more of a mystery. The shepherd who had been full grown, at least he thought he had been, before leaving was now a good deal bigger. Another good reason for living in the house, the large animal would have been cramped in the small apartment.

He slinked in to the apartment after dark and saw Sasuke on a pile of pillows in the living room. It was odd to see him that worn out but seeing the bruises and small scratches littering his body he had a good idea what might have happened.

The boys had to see who was stronger.

He shrugged of his vest and shoes at the door and saw that both Sasuke's and Naruto's were in that same area and he grinned. So where was Naruto?

With his plants.

He came to the boy's door and glanced in. Sure enough the outside door was open and Naruto was just sitting at the edge of the porch staring upward. Riri lay nearby, stretched out and panting slightly but otherwise oblivious.

So he caved and padded over and sat next to the blonde and ruffled his hair affectionately. It had been three years. Sure there was going to be an adjustment back to one another but as Naruto grinned up at him and hugged him after he put his hand down, Kakashi was sure it was not going to be that big of an adjustment.

"So, who won?"

"Stalemate." Naruto laughed. "Which sucks I was so sure I was going to win."

Kakashi laughed and glanced up at the sky as well. "So why is he passed out and you're out here?"

"Well I still have more chakra, remember Nii-san."

"Ah yes that's right. I suppose that is one area you win."

Naruto was silent and just seemed content to let Kakashi pet his hair. It was an odd behavior for a sixteen year old but Kakashi did not see himself stopping it by any means. It was okay for just this once. No one would know.

"Nii-san, you sure you wanna be here? We could find somewhere else…."

"Naruto it is fine. It was a long time ago. I know I told you about my father but it is in the past what happened. I've let it go. You and Sasuke deserved not to be packed in like fish in nets."

"How did you do that anyway? I thought he'd want to stay in the Uchiha district." Naruto finally let go and sat back up to star gaze.

"I do believe that was your doing. Didn't you tell him not to do what the whole village wanted him to do?" Kakashi scratched at his nose. "That he did not have to restore the clan if he didn't want to?"

Naruto nodded a bit, remembering their many conversations in the Forest of Death. "So he listened huh?"

"I guess that's it. He said he did not want to stay there anymore but had no idea where he could go." Kakashi rolled his shoulders and glanced over at Naruto. "I figured there was nowhere else for him to go."

"I like that he's here. It's just not home yet." Naruto sighed. "It's weird still being home."

"Hmm. How was training with Jiraiya-sama? Rough?"

"Like you wouldn't believe." Naruto laughed. "If it wasn't insane it was boring while he wrote that stupid book. But it was fun too."

"Good. Hopefully you learned something."

"Oh yeah lots of things but he said not to let go of my trump cards." Naruto smiled just a little bit up at the sky. "He also took me to a lot of places."

"Jiraiya-sama was always a wanderer. A good experience though, to see countries while you are able to see them, not just after an objective or a mission completion."

"He…he took me to Whirlpool."

Kakashi straightened back up and watched Naruto closely. The blonde still seemed somewhat nervous and maybe he wanted to talk about what the country meant to him specifically.

"He figured since he lied to me about my father, he could make it up by telling me about my mother." Naruto said in a hushed tone. "Said there used to be a whole clan of Uzumaki's in Whirlpool."

"Hmm yes, I do believe the Uzumaki clan headed Whirlpool before the war destroyed it." Kakashi replied quietly. "I'm surprised he took you there."

"There wasn't much there, and he said I didn't look enough like my mother to warrant any attention." Naruto shrugged heavily. "It was kinda weird. But it was kinda nice too. Said I looked like my dad but I acted like my mother. Kushina…"

"Yes you do act like Kushina-sama." Kakashi agreed. He had agreed for many years with that assessment.

"He also said Uzumaki's were known for their sealing ability. That it wasn't just because of my dad he was teaching me seals." Naruto laughed and shook his head. "That mom was really good at them…"

"She was the one to teach Sensei a lot of his sealing techniques. Jiraiya-sama helped but she had better known methods."

"That's what Jiraiya said." Naruto whispered.

"What do you think about them? Your family? You known now. We didn't get to talk about it a lot before you left."

Kakashi was not sure how Naruto was going to accept the Fourth Hokage. It was a huge pill to swallow but there had to be a reason for it. He had been unable to find his Sensei again before it was all over and done and had been left with a lot of the same questions everyone else had. It was his son. He could not see any way that Sensei would have done such a thing but he had.

"You're my family." Naruto glanced over at him. "But I guess I'm okay with it. He did what he had to and you said it wasn't easy for him. I'm still mad about it but…but it could've been worse yah? And my mother was a goofball and if I gotta identify with anyone I want it to be her…and you."

Kakashi glanced back up and smiled a little. He was not totally forgiving but he was accepting slowly. That was good. It was somewhat humbling too that he rather have him than two rather powerful Shinobi as family.

"But everyone's going to think I'm him." Naruto went on. "So I guess I might as well just play it up."

That wild eyed smirk and the tone of his voice belied it all. Naruto had found a way to achieve what he wanted. If it was playing on people's perceptions by all means he was going to do it. He was embracing his legacies and learning from it.

Something told him tomorrow was going to be a very interesting display of just what it was Naruto had learned and taught himself to do.

* * *

**Author Note x2: **Okay let's get outta the funk. I know I know, not what I wanted to post but like I said before wasn't what I was wanting of the intermissions so I scrapped them for now. Plus fangirl in me was trying to win out over logic. Might still win but at least in this version a bit more believable.

Point 2. I'm still on the fence about a NaruSaku or a NaruHina, or hell scrapping them both and going somewhere insane but you all need to put your votes in here. Sure there's a crush happening here. But whether or not it evolves is still on the wire.

Point 3. Some of the recent manga chapters are having a little effect on this story. The seals thing, Riri and what not ..hopefully that isn't too far fetched with what we've learned recently and it makes some sense. It does in my head and once they explained the whole sage thing (Madra) and we saw the fox call Naruto in a sense the sage of the six paths, I thought hey… So if it's insane you all can tell me.

Please accept my apologies. The Teeth were horrible. Pulling teeth SUCKS. I couldn't eat for a month…. And I'm a food motivated person. I like my munchies. I was pissed to find I could not eat Corn on the Cob during the height of sweet corn season. My timing was horrible. But I'm getting better at it so back I come for fun and games. Hopefully I didn't screw it up too bad.


	32. Announcement

**The Fox and the Hound Announcement.**

So I know it's been forever and I have not updated but things happened and life hits like a lovely ton of bricks. For starters my e-mail was hacked and I had to go on the lovely adventure of getting things turned off (e-bank statements, automatic emails, alert my contact list, etc. etc. etc.) and well is one of the ones I missed. I haven't gotten any of my emails from this site and because of other mitigating factors I just did not think about it. My finances were the first and foremost concern about what had happened and once I was sure they were safe, other things have been a "OH shit I forgot to change my email on that site and this site" and so on.

Secondly was the fact that I am a social phobic. Now what does that have to do with this story? Well…. I wasn't expecting the "attention" it got. Granted I am flattered and enjoy very much the feedback and what not but after a while my phobia kicked in and I got scared. Scared of what? Pleasing EVERYONE. You probably all noticed the questions at the end of the chapters popping up later in the chapters and the length of time between updates because I would keep see-sawing back and forth between options and worrying obsessively about how they would be received, especially by those who had been with the story a long time. Eventually that worry became a paralyzing force and I shrunk into my corner as I have been known to do (ex: see the Strength of the Wolf). I have suffered with this for years….since 7th grade really and I just have periods of time when any kind of attention, good or bad, seems like a lot bigger issue than it really is and I usually have to go back on medication to get back to "functioning" and restart where I left off.

I also started back to school since finding a job out of retail with my current degree wasn't getting me anywhere and added to the problem above. I felt I wasn't good enough and that compounded the panic and it just took me out of the game for a few months. HOWEVER since starting school for something I actually enjoy (computer technical support and networking) I feel a lot more confident lately and after a few quarters I finally have a working schedule of when I'm at work, class, and free time.

So what does that mean for the Fox and the Hound? I have missed this story; greatly. I feel I left at a bad place and that was not fair at all to any of you who have stuck it thru, especially you Fergnerd ;) my secretary and poking rod all in one. I have begun the process of rereading chapters and getting reacquainted with my little world. I am going to at least post a missing moment here soon and I will jump back on this horse even if it kills me. Of course I have 24 chapters to walk myself back thru and I will do so with a fine tooth comb. I may even redo the last chapter (24) as I feel it had horrendous gaps and missteps that need correcting.

So in all, I give a thousand pardons for this excessive streak of missing updates. I am back and I have a schedule I think will allow me to at least update once a week or once every ten days or so. These updates will probably happen on Sunday or Monday depending on if the Sunday is my open-to-close shift or not.

Again a thousand "I'm sorry's" and lets see if I can pick this baby back up. Maybe even strength of the wolf as well…


	33. Missing Moment 6

**The Fox and the Hound**

**Missing Moments: **Age 4

**Author Notes: ** finally let me change my e-mail. That was more trouble than it was worth but finally done. I am done reading the chapters and I def. need to fix 24 a bit. But I was in the mood so …Missing Moments it is. Plus I need some sap to get out of my system. HOWEVER you'll be glad to know that the plot bunnies flared up. The first missing moment is a suggestion from Horseygurl89 that just was sooooo tantalizingly good I couldn't pass it up. The second one I'll post is the one I was going to do anyways and didn't want to cut it either. So let's jump in and see if I can remember how to write XD.

The first one goes with chapter one and the whole line "It would seem you two were meant to be brothers, with or without Minato here to make it happen."

* * *

"_So I did make it back." _

Kakashi sat up slowly, marking the slight tensioning in his shoulder muscles and along his side. He knew those areas would be the sorest because of the fight he had found himself in along the border. He had nearly made it back without incident and then the Iwa-nin just _happened_ upon him.

Someone had seen him. He had made a mistake. But the more he racked his brain he could not find where he had done so. Nothing he had done had warranted attention, he even concocted up a henge to hide his true identity while he retrieved the Intel the Hokage had wanted. It was still too fresh in Iwa what he and his Sensei had done and even though he wore a mask there was still the chance of being discovered.

He had taken all the necessary precautions and yet _someone_ had realized he had been there and decided to stop him before he re-entered Fire Country.

He had not taken anything. He had nothing of value except what he had seen. He had done nothing in Rock to explain how they knew he had even been there.

Except having to stop a few times to rest in Grass he had no other explanation for the attack.

"_Unless they were on a mission and saw me returning." _Kakashi frowned at the door of his room and winced as he pulled at a bandage stuck to his side. He glanced down at the dark material of the black shirt and leggings and then glanced up.

"_This isn't right. Where's my gear? My mask? How did I get bandaged up? Was I aware enough to do so and then forget?" _Kakashi puzzled and glanced back up again. Sure enough the mask he wore was hanging from its usual hook near the door. But instead of being hung carefully it hung at an odd angle. The eyes of the dog mask glared back at him in a lop-sided fashion. _"I never just hang it there I always straighten it." _

"Naruto put it up for you."

Kakashi snarled and wanted to reach for a weapon but stopped as he saw the Hokage, neatly tucked away in a corner of the room, mouthing the worn pipe he always had on his person. Kakashi still snarled and ducked his gaze; he was really loosing it if he had not realized he had an audience.

"Now, now Kakashi. You are too hard on yourself." The Hokage stood and came to the side of the bed glancing up at the same mask Kakashi had become transfixed upon. "You did come dangerously close to exhausting _**all**_ of your chakra. I highly doubt you could sense anything right now."

"Forgive me, Hokage-sama." Kakashi muttered and took a deep breath.

The Hokage hummed and reached up to twirl the pipe slowly before pulling it out and letting smoke billow from his lips. "Forgive you for what exactly?"

"My lack of digression, apparently." Kakashi sighed and tested his shoulder again. If he could move properly he could go about standing so he could actually give his report properly instead of while sitting there.

The Hokage was silent for a while then sighed. "Very well, I will assume it was Iwa-nin that forced you into such a reckless decision? You were only meant to scout for me Kakashi, not escalate an already treacherous stalemate."

"I was ambushed, Hokage-sama." Kakashi swung his feet out from under the covers and tested his weight before standing and walking over to the wall and staring at the mask again. "I was met outside of Fire."

"Which means that Iwa is also spying on us." Sandaime sighed. "We should have assumed as much."

"I apologize for failing to realize such a possibility." Kakashi reached out and straightened the porcelain mask carefully. He noted the stretched nature of the band that held it in place and raised an eyebrow. "I nearly led them straight here."

"I highly doubt that is the case." The Hokage snuffed and put his pipe back into his mouth, smiling a bit as he watched Kakashi right his gear. "Be still. Naruto worked hard to put things in their proper place. His Nii-san would be very upset if things were just strewn about."

Kakashi froze and glanced over his shoulder at the old man. "His what?"

The unbidden question made the Hokage smirk more as he returned to his seat. "His nii-san." He stated matter-of-factly before turning his gaze upon Kakashi again. "You scared your brother Kakashi, you should apologize to him. And you should thank him. He knew you needed help when you apparently did not."

Kakashi stared at the mask intently. "Why would you give him such an idea, Hokage-sama?"

"Me?" The Sandaime chuckled and shook his head side to side. "It was Naruto's idea I assure you. He came to me in a panic because his brother had come home hurt. I am surprised he came to see you as such so quickly."

"Brother…he thinks I'm his brother? Why in the world would he think I'm his….his brother?" Kakashi pulled a blank and glared at the Hokage accusingly. The boy did not really have a concept of family, at least not yet. He could not possibly see a parallel there and Kakashi wanted to place the blame for this mess squarely on the Hokage's shoulders.

Instead the word just kept mulling around in his head. It spun and wove in and out of his senses until he felt such a spike of guilt he sat at the end of his bed in an ungraceful slump. Not only had he abandoned Sensei's son for four years, he had abandoned his _brother._

"_You know, Kushina is rather upset with you right now." _

_Kakashi sat down a box carefully in the middle of the small room and turned behind him to eye the Hokage standing behind him. The older blonde was taking in the small apartment carefully with watchful blue eyes while Kakashi moved boxes and odds and ends around to meet his needs. He frowned a bit; surprised that Minato-sensei had caught up with him so quickly. _

"_You're lucky really." Minato continued on, walking down the hallway and opening up doors and inspecting other nooks and crannies of the small apartment Kakashi had found on the other side of town. Kakashi sighed heavily and stepped out into hallway to watch his teacher. "She decided to not find you herself and beat you into submission." _

"_All due respect, Hokage-sama," The moniker sounded wrong just as it had for the past few months but things were changing in the Hidden Leaf and Kakashi had to make changes along with it. "But I am in ANBU now. You promoted me remember? I believe I can take care of myself." _

_Minato-sensei stopped and stared at him down the hallway and shook his head. "I've told you before; if I'm not wearing the coat you don't have to call me that. I'm also pretty sure that you can take care of yourself Kakashi, that isn't what we're implying." _

"_Then why is Kushina-sama so upset?" Kakashi decided to move more of his 'things' from the hallway he was overtaking and start actually making the place comfortable. He had saved up a lot of his earnings for the past couple months in a bid to quickly, and quietly, amass the essentials. _

_Just as he had already told his teacher he was in ANBU now. The youngest there had ever been. It did not seem right that he was still 'living' with his sensei….now his Hokage. Granted he was not surprised that Kushina had realized already what he was doing. The red-headed kunochi was a good eye for detail and was home more than Minato was anymore. She would notice things missing, he had known that when he started moving things. _

_Still it was odd to see Minato there so fast. Didn't he have things to take care of as Hokage? This seemed like a pretty low priority concern for the Hokage to be dealing with._

"_Maybe because you didn't say anything." Minato frowned and made to follow Kakashi. Kakashi noted with a small frown that his sensei made no effort what-so-ever to help him with any of the gear and groceries he had already bought to start himself off with. The man merely was shadowing him and questioning him. "Really Kakashi, you could have at least warned us." _

"_Warned you of what exactly?" Kakashi sighed and leaned up against the kitchen counter, dropping the box on the barren counters. He had to admit the place was nothing compared to the apartment Minato-sensei owned. It was just empty right now but in time he would adapt. He always did. "I'm going to be fourteen this year, Sensei. I would think you and Kushina-sama would like your home back." _

_Minato frowned deeply at that and crossed his arms in front of his chest in that disapproving manner he had. _

"_And you both will be moving into the tower soon. You are the Hokage now. I think it would be odd that a member of ANBU would be staying with you as well." _

"_Why, the lot of them seem to like to shadow me as it is." Minato thumbed towards the windows and sighed. "You could just be a permanent detail." _

_Kakashi raised his eyebrow and frowned. _

"_Okay, you've got me there. That does sound pretty lame." Minato sighed and bent down to stare at Kakashi from over the counter looking out over the living room. "Still, you could have said something Kakashi. We were just planning to leave you the old place. We weren't just going to kick you out."_

_There was a long drag of silence that made Kakashi fidget uncertainly under the scrutiny. Why was he here? If Kushina-sama was the one with the problem why did he not just let her come and beat him silly? He had dealt with the woman long enough to know she'd be upset but it didn't really change anything. He had been living off of Sensei's good graces for long enough. It was about time he stepped out and did what he should have done and taken care of himself. _

"_You really want to do this?" Minato straightened up and watched him very closely. "Now?" _

"_Why not now?" Kakashi shrugged. "I make enough to support myself. I am in ANBU. I'm not a kid Sensei." _

"_No I guess you're not." Minato sighed and looked away. Glancing at the boxes and things gathered outside. "I was just hoping you would be around a little while longer. I thought maybe you could keep an eye on Kushina for me." _

_Kakashi cocked his head to the side and furrowed his brow. "Keep an eye on Kushina-sama? Sensei…I don't know if you know or not but I think Kushina's pretty capable of doing that herself. Last I checked she could beat you in a fight if she set her mind to it." _

_Minato chuckled a little bit and shook his head. Kakashi was certain the man was just pulling at straws. No one needed to keep an eye on Kushina-sama. _

"_Well that's true. But I guess I was hoping more for a babysitter, though I guess she wouldn't much like that either. But if it's you, you've always been there; she wouldn't question it being you." _

_Kakashi again scrunched up his brow and glared at Minato-sensei. "Sensei, if this is some sort of ploy to get me to come back…it's a rather…"_

"_Kushina's pregnant you know." Minato-sensei was smiling oddly as he cut Kakashi off and kept his gaze downwards for a few seconds before grinning fully up at his student. "We're supposed to keep it quiet, with all the Hokage business and still being in Bingo Books. And you know Kushina, she won't settle down will she? I need someone to keep her from over extending herself." _

_Kakashi blinked. Kushina-sama was...pregnant? Is that why Minato-sensei had come and not her to lecture him about his finally striking out on his own? That still didn't make much sense. They were going to have a child of all things. Sensei was the Hokage now and soon he was going to be a father….they didn't need him there in the way did they? _

"_Then isn't it better if I go?" Kakashi muttered and moved to pick up another bag. "I'd just be in the way of things." _

_Something about what he said, or the way he said it, triggered a reaction and soon he found his arm clutched by the older man, preventing him from reaching out the door to grab another sack. He flinched involuntarily but glared over at the blonde man practically staring him down with those damn blue eyes of his. _

"_Kakashi!" Minato barked at him a bit and made the younger boy straighten as he stood up, still with Kakashi's arm grasped firmly in his hand. "How many times do I have to tell you, you were never in the way? We __**wanted**__ you there. We still want you there."_

_Kakashi flinched a little. He never meant to make it sound like he was ungrateful. Honestly his Sensei should have never taken him when he was six. He had no duty to do so. He was merely Minato's Genin. He did not have to make sure Kakashi was taken care of, that wasn't his job as a Jounin, and the missions was supposed to be his concern. But Sensei had forcibly drug him back to his home a few nights after what his 'father' had done and refused to let him leave. After a while he had just gone with it and had been grateful for the help._

"_I mean for Kami's sake." Minato was continuing on and snorting in frustration, not once taking his eyes off of the young ANBU initiate. "You're practically my son. OUR son." _

_Kakashi blanched and felt his body go numb. Minato-sensei could not really mean such a thing. It was ludicrous. He was just Minato's student. One he had taken a very big interest in. One he had helped more than any Jounin would have done for any of their….No Minato-sensei was serious. Those blue eyes didn't lie. Sensei was dead serious and he seemed upset that he actually had to spell it out to Kakashi. _

_Minato made sure to catch his eye for sure this time and went on. "It would kill us if our son didn't know you." _

_A son? Sensei was having a boy? "Sensei…I…"_

_Minato did not yet release him but he grinned a little. "Kakashi I get it, this wanting to stand on your own. I mean we were all forced to grow up just a little too fast wouldn't you agree?" _

_Kakashi nodded a little, still numb and still trying to find the proper response for whatever it was Sensei was getting at. He was still confused. They were having a boy and their concern was the fact he left? Why? Why did it matter so much that their son would know him? _

"_Kushina wants me to drag you back by your headband if I have to." Minato finally released him. "But you are correct you know. You are in ANBU now. You've more than proved you are capable and you seem to inexplicably survive when lesser ninja would have rolled over and died." Minato ruffled his hair a bit and smiled sadly. "The place doesn't look too bad. If you are really seeking your independence, and not some stupid sense of being in the way, then I suppose I can't really say anything. " _

_The glance from the Fourth made Kakashi want to apologize profusely but instead only ducked his head a little in reverence. Minato-sensei saw him as his son? Why? His father had passed years ago and as far as he knew that was it. He was alone. _

_Except….He wasn't. He suddenly found himself questioning what an idiot he had been. _

"_But, I am going to want assurances." Minato folded his arms again and fixed Kakashi's one eye with his own particularly hard. "As will Kushina. If you're in town, and trust me I'm going to know if you are or not, we at least want to see you a few times a week. And no, reporting to me as your Hokage does not count." _

_Kakashi again nodded subconsciously and agreed to the stipulation. Minato-sensei was not disagreeing with him exactly. He had come to offer the terms of the agreement. And to let it know just how much trouble Kakashi was in for not saying anything to them. _

_Only once he had done this, did his teacher begin to bring in things and sit them in their appropriate places. He did so quietly and rather quickly and before long he was standing in front of Kakashi again looking at him much like he had the night he finally drug Kakashi out of that miserable house. _

"_Kakashi. I really meant it you know." Minato stuck his hand in the spiky silver hair and it stayed there as Kakashi stared back at the blonde Hokage. "I know you don't believe me but you are important to Kushina and I. Whether you like it or not you're going to be an older brother." _

_Kakashi choked a little then laughed somewhat quietly. "I guess I can't really say no. You are the Hokage after all." _

Kakashi shuddered and hung his head. It only made things worse, remembering the past. It also made finding Naruto as he had just a little tougher to swallow. Minato-Sensei had taken him in. He had protected him. He had done everything in his power to make sure Kakashi didn't lose himself and look what Kakashi had just done?

After Minato and Kushina were dead he pretended as if they never existed. He had never once checked up on the little boy he was supposed to be a brother for.

He took a furtive glance towards the chain and found the Hokage had excused himself and he was again alone in the room. Looking down the hallway Kakashi could see a blonde shock of hair sitting on the beaten and worn couch and flinched a little.

He stood slowly and began ambling down the hall, towards the little boy who seemed intent on reading a thick book that was probably half his size. As he stopped in the hallway, just before the kitchen he just watched. Naruto apparently had referred to Kakashi as his brother. Naruto maybe did not understand family ties but the little boy was old enough to crave them and had made himself a family with the only person he knew.

Kakashi.

And really wasn't that what he had done with Sensei? Had he not stayed longer with the blonde and his girlfriend than had been necessary? Hadn't he been pleased with the prospect of a family once the initial shock and awe wore off?

Instead he had secluded himself and cost Naruto four years of a burden Kakashi could only imagine.

"_I'll make it up to you, Sensei. No…I'll make it up to him." _

* * *

**Author Note: **Yeah I know most of the missing moments are around these ages but that's when the most of the bonding would be happening wouldn't it. And yeah technically a "Kakashi" missing moment but the past does affect our choices doesn't it? :D Anyway it's a nice little fluff to get back into the swing of things.


	34. Missing Moment: Age 12

**The Fox and the Hound**

**Missing Moment: **Age 12

**Author Note: **Okay last one before going to do a few tweaks to Chapter 24 and onward. In all actuality this one can kinda tie in with the last Missing Moment I just did. *evil grin* God I love these things.

P.S. What the heck is with during Sundays? Most of the time Sundays and Fridays are my days to post things and this Sunday decided nope…can't let you today. Sorry for that delay :P

* * *

Kakashi led the way through the darkened streets of Konoha, away from the training grounds and back to the familiarity of his home. Behind him a ragged looking blonde smirked wildly, hands behind his head and his eyes closed in delight. Beside the boy Ririshii loped along, an easy gait that kept him in step with his master.

All in all they had stayed out way too late but the three had been so eager to test themselves and to see just what it was Naruto had learned during his extended absence. So Kakashi let them talk him into the idea and started giving instruction as he saw fit. Really the three had gone about training themselves with him nearby. They hadn't really needed him there.

But they had wanted him there.

Kakashi glanced back at Naruto. If he hadn't been there he would have never seen the 'surprise'. He hazily remembered hearing the word in the hospital but he had just woken from a good month long coma and apparently he had let it slip by without notice. No….his notice at the time had been the name Kabuto and how he had been involved in whatever it was Jiraiya had roped Naruto into.

But late into the night Sasuke predictably began to practice the Chidori Kakashi had taught him and at the sight and sound of it Naruto had whirled around from explaining the water walking exercise to Sakura, positively beaming.

"_Oy! That reminds me! There is something of use the old pervert taught me!" _

Sakura and Sasuke were astonished by the jutsu; as was only fitting. It was an A-rank and rather deadly if you suppressed enough chakra into the tightly spinning ball. Sasuke and Naruto were soon demonstrating on practice targets and trees just to observe the difference between the two jutsu they both had learned in under a _month_.

He still was dumbfounded by the idea. He must have been staring when Naruto whipped out the Rasengan because Sakura had come over and looked up at him curiously_. "Kakashi-sensei? Are you alright? You look like you saw a ghost or something." _

That was an understatement. He saw a ghost and he was awestruck that Naruto had picked up the Rasengan in as little as a month when it had taken Sensei _**years**_ to perfect the damn thing. Hell in Sensei's eyes it had never even been perfected. He had never found a way to add Nature Manipulation to the spiraling chakra ball.

"_Hai Sakura-chan I'm fine. Just a little surprised is all. You should be honored Naruto." He found himself speaking out to the blonde. "That was the Fourth Hokage's jutsu that Jiraiya taught you." _

Of course at that Sakura and Sasuke blinked up at him and Naruto merely nodded happily. Jiraiya had already told him that.

Now as they walked along the deserted evening streets Kakashi could not help but watch Naruto closely and wonder.

_He learned that jutsu, __**that **__jutsu, in a month. I'm still surprised Sasuke picked up the Chidori that quickly. But the Rasengan? That's a complete different jutsu and making your chakra take a definitive shape like that is hard to learn even for Jounin. That was part of the reason I never continued the Chidori, it was too hard to force a shape on something lightning based._

"So, Sasuke and Sakura did not seem too upset about our deception." Kakashi hummed and got Naruto's attention. Blue eyes blinked a bit and looked away quickly. "If anything I think Sasuke was about to discover the truth anyway."

In reality it was a decoy question. Sure he was curious as to what the three spoke about after he left them at the hospital but it wasn't his true concern. Well not one of the more pressing ones anyway.

"I suppose so." Naruto lowered his arms and began fiddling with his coat sleeves. "I mean I get why we started lyin' but I dunno. Still seems weird for people to know about it….well other than Asuma and Kurenai and Gai-sensei."

"Yes and even they wouldn't have known if they hadn't been so nosey." Kakashi huffed and pulled out his book. It honestly was the only thing he was able to distract himself with but the rest of the questions kept popping up and finally he relented and took another glance at the blonde. "How many times did you run yourself into the ground learning the Rasengan? I'm sure it was hard by any measure to learn it so fast."

Naruto merely shrugged and appeared to be more interested in the side streets than their conversation.

Riri huffed and shook his head. "He nearly slept in the rain and was out for a while. "

Naruto glared daggers at Ririshii. "I only did it once Riri."

"Lucky the Pervy Sage was in the mood to listen for once." Riri growled a little in return. "You wouldn't listen."

"Well then Riri since you seem to be in a talkative mood. Maybe you can tell me what happened with Orochimaru and Kabuto since Naruto keeps avoiding it."

Riri's tail lowered and whined. He glanced up at Naruto who was already scowling about his dog's admission before but now that scowl was directed more towards Kakashi. "Why do you keep asking about that?"

"Because you keep avoiding it." Kakashi murmured and eyed the dog again. "Which means you're hiding something."

As the silence drew down upon them the nighttime bugs took up filling the space. Kakashi kept on walking as did the other two but Kakashi's attention was keen on either one breaking the silence. **Something** had happened. Sure Tsunade had given him an overview and he had been livid that Naruto had done something as reckless and stupid as to step between a Sannin and a Rogue Nin that he knew was out of his league but that was all he knew. He knew Kabuto had struck at Naruto and hurt him but that was where things got hazy…

"He nearly died."

Kakashi stopped and turned to eye Ririshii. The German Shepherd had lowered himself to the ground instantly and whimpered. Naruto had stopped as well and was glaring daggers at his poor dog.

"Kabuto hit him….just as Naruto hit Kabuto with the Rasengan." Riri kept whining and ignoring Naruto's obvious displeasure. "He…..he…stopped breathing for a moment…"

At this Naruto seemed to pale a bit and turned his eyes away from Ririshii. Kakashi cursed under his breath and rubbed at his nose. "So he actually hit his mark. Lady Tsunade only mentioned he struck at your heart, not actually hit it."

Riri whined loudly and shuddered as he hit the ground. "Tried to get between them. I tried. I failed…. If the old lady hadn't had woken up….if she hadn't finally moved…."

"Woken up?" Kakashi was confused. Lady Tsunade had been incapacitated? Was that why Naruto stepped between them? "She was asleep?"

"No, frozen. Wouldn't move." Riri shook his head and looked up at Naruto for any kind of assistance in explaining it better.

"The old lady's afraid of blood and Kabuto cut himself and flung it on her." Naruto muttered darkly and kept his gaze neatly away from Kakashi's. "Awfully stupid thing to be afraid of if you're a medic isn't it?"

"And you're trying to change the subject again." Kakashi frowned down at Naruto. "Why in the world did you step in? I would assume Jiraiya-sama said to stay out of it."

"Oh yeah and a lot of help he was." Naruto fidgeted but scowled in obvious displeasure. "Some Sannin. The old lady slipped him something and he could barely use his chakra. What was I supposed to do? Hope he got it out of his system before something bad happened? Kabuto was going to beat her just for the hell of doing it. She wasn't any threat once he bloodied her up; she just sat there."

"He obviously wasn't going to kill her though." Kakashi pointed out and tried hard to reign in the small speck of panic creeping up from his gut. "Orochimaru wanted her for some reason and to kill her would defeat the purpose."

"So I was supposed to just let him have his way with her." Naruto suddenly was focused and zeroed in solely on Kakashi. "I wasn't just going to let her get hurt for…"

"But jumping in and getting yourself hurt, almost killed," Kakashi snapped a little. "that's your answer? You need to think these things through Naruto instead of just jumping in head first. You're smarter than this and I know you are…"

"What the hell Nii-san?" Naruto snapped back. Those blue eyes flared up in an instant and now he was defending himself and his actions. "It wasn't like I didn't think about it but I thought she'd snap out of it if someone interfered. Instead she just kept sitting there like a coward! Why are you so mad about this? I'm a ninja of the village now aren't I? Isn't that what we're supposed to do? Finish the mission?"

Kakashi flinched at the words. He had a point. Naruto was, after all, a Konoha-nin. He had proven himself to be capable and he wore that headband proudly. He was a ninja. That was the objective; finish the mission….protect the village and its people…

And yet….

"Anyways I'm still standing aren't I? Naruto kept going; taking Kakashi's silence as proof the older ninja still needed convincing. "Everything turned out fine; I don't see why you're so worked up about it."

"Because suddenly you've become reckless. I would have thought as much time as you spent planning pranks you'd be a little more calculating in these matters." Kakashi meant to stop there, wanted to stop there, but the more words he spoke, the more of them kept popping up in his head.

"And maybe because you're too important to…." His brain screamed to stop but instead of obeying this simple command his mouth just kept moving. And he kept speaking. And he kept going along with the thought that was now getting away from him like a runaway train. "…me."

Damn Yoshi and her damn persistent nature. Damn her for making him voice his worries back at the hospital because now they just would not silence. As far as he was aware he had been doing well with not becoming _too_ attached to the blonde but obviously that was a lie he had kept telling himself.

Because now, faced with the reality that Naruto had nearly gotten himself killed, all he could think about was what if Naruto had died. Kakashi found himself turning and starting to walk again. He had been curious as to what had happened but why? Why had a momentary flash of panic streak by his awareness whenever something happened to Naruto? He still remembered the first time it had happened, the night Naruto came back to the apartment with Ririshii and a nasty gash in the back of his head.

And sadly the answer kept staring him right back in the face. Was that not how Sensei acted around him whenever he decided to do something stupid? Was that not the final trump card Sensei had tried to play when he finally decided to move to the small apartment he and Naruto now shared?

"_For Kami's sake, you're practically my son." _

Kakashi sighed heavily and shoved his hands into his pockets. Well that was the final straw wasn't it? That was the answer. For all their outward appearances, their little independencies, and the way Naruto called him nii-san, there was just one little hitch to it. Somewhere along the way Naruto had shifted from 'brother' to 'son'. Naruto was _his son_. And the thought that he could have failed; that Naruto could have been _gone_, just like all those before him…

… it hurt far worse than any of the many other losses he had acquired over the years.

"_That's why you kept me away isn't it Sensei? Why you didn't want me to get involved once the fox started attacking? I couldn't live with myself if I let something happen to him..." _

A bench lit by a lone light came into view and without even thinking much about it, Kakashi steered them towards it. He sat heavily and glanced up at the blonde who had lost the angry glare, and looked at Kakashi with a slight tilt to his head. Riri sat down beside Naruto and Kakashi just stared at them both.

"Naruto…" Kakashi said the name slowly and looked away briefly, apparently some part of his ninja sense was still in play and he mentally wanted to be sure no one was within earshot because this was about to get painful. "I get it. You worked hard to get this far and I don't mean you aren't capable. You are very capable, more so than Sasuke in some areas."

"Then I don't get it…what did I do wrong?" Naruto frowned at him a little bit but then shook his head. "I mean I get I did something stupid, I do that a lot, but I don't quite get why this was something I shouldn't have done. I don't just stand there and let people get hurt…the old lady maybe annoying and not really all that great but she doesn't deserve to be kicked around and have her faced shoved in the dirt by some jerk who betrayed the village."

"I'm not saying it's stupid, what you did." Kakashi reached up and pinched briefly at his nose. "I overreacted. You did well. You obviously made an impression on Tsunade-sama doing what you did."

Naruto cocked his head to the side more, probably even more confused by Kakashi's contradiction.

"But…." Kakashi bowed his head and let his hands drop between his knees. "You have to understand something Naruto. I…. I've lost everything before. My family, my sensei, my team, they're all gone now. I'm all that's left."

Naruto came and sat on the bench as well. His blue eyes traveled out to the stone walkway, half lidded and a small frown crossing his face as Kakashi talked.

"And I should not have overreacted like I did." Kakashi took a sidelong glance at the boy then focused once more on the dog. It was easier if he didn't look at Naruto too much. "But I can't lose you too, not you."

Riri wormed his way under Kakashi's hand and he absently scratched at the dog's fur. He found himself dazed that he had even said of this to Naruto, but it had to be said. Otherwise he'd drive the boy off every time he accidently would slip and become just a tad overprotective of the boy. Kakashi knew they were small slips but they were going to happen. As much as he wanted to believe he was a hardened veteran of this profession he had lived with Minato too long and that small streak of human kindness had rubbed off on Kakashi.

And Naruto was important to him. There was no harm in admitting that was there? All three of the Genin were now. He would of course want to protect them but so far he had been good at making sure to get them up to speed, not act on that particular feeling. But Naruto, if something happened to him, Kakashi was sure that would be the end of it. This was his last chance.

"You know," Naruto finally spoke up and broke Kakashi's thought. "That's what I'm scared about too."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow but otherwise said nothing.

"Have been since I was little actually." Naruto smiled sadly for a moment then shook his head. "One day you weren't going to come back and I'd be alone again."

So they were both attached. Kakashi chuckled a little bit and ruffled the spiky blonde hair. "That is one thing you've always been better at. I highly doubt now you'd ever be alone."

Naruto eyed him a suspiciously as Kakashi stood and began the usual trek back home.

"Let's see" Kakashi continued as Naruto jumped up and came up behind him just like they had always done. "Sakura, Sasuke, Iruka, hmmm, Asuma, Kurenai, Gai, Lee, Shikamaru, Choji…."

Naruto blushed a bit at the rambling of names that he was obviously familiar with. Kakashi laughed a bit more. "For as shy as you used to be as a kid, you certainly have quite a few friends."

Naruto really blushed at that and shoved his hands in his own pockets, much like Kakashi had done earlier. Kakashi had dismissed everyone's claims that Naruto was just like him. Before he hadn't seen it because obviously they looked nothing alike, they were two different people, but just then he saw it. Naruto and he looked differently but they had the same mannerisms. They had the same sort of attitude, save Naruto was a little louder and more pronounced sometimes; he had after all adopted a clown persona to cover for himself.

Kakashi let Naruto be for a while and merely looked at the village around him. He really should not have overreacted and he really shouldn't have worried. Naruto was smart, he knew that. And Naruto really shouldn't be afraid either, Kakashi saw how many people gathered around the kid and just how subtly the village attitude was making a shift. Sure people still shunned him and gave him looks but others who normally would do the same had been looking after the boy curiously. They were giving the fox's container a second thought.

Kakashi smiled a little beneath his mask. The only thing they had to worry about was Orochimaru and that organization Jiraiya had brought up. But they could train for that. They could prepare themselves better than Kakashi's old team had. They knew what was after them and had already settled on a course of action.

These three would not repeat the mistakes Kakashi's old team had and Jiraiya's team had. Somehow or another these three would stick around for a while.

All he had to do was keep telling himself he had nothing to worry about.

* * *

**Author Note x2: **Yeah mushy mushy mushy. But I had to get it out of my system before returning to the next chapter :D Up next the bell test ….. well kinda the bell test ;) I've got ideas again…WOOOO!


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